7 Devils
by mermaidstear
Summary: Elena's fraternal twin, Vivian, has been left out of the supernatural world for awhile. When she's finally included, she gets noticed by two dangerous vampires. Elijah/OC/Klaus
1. Chapter 1

**Hey ya'll. So this is just a random idea I had earlier in the week. I figured I might as well write it out. So I would appreciate any feedback because I really haven't planned much out. I own nothing but my OC, Vivian.**

I'd known Elena since birth. After all, we were twins. I'd known Caroline for as long, same with Bonnie, with Matt, with Tyler. Somehow, now Caroline was a vampire. Somehow, Elena had a five-hundred year old vampire doppelganger that Stefan and Damon had been in love with in the 1800s. How was that possible? How could Bonnie be a witch? Tyler is a werewolf? And no one told me anything.

Caroline was my gateway into the supernatural world. We were at the carnival and all at once, I turned and the look on her face wasn't at all human. She attacked someone and I actually saw it. Before I'd realized it, there was Damon, Caroline's ex and my sometimes friend, on the ground, screaming in agony because Bonnie had set fire to him _with her mind. _Elena was the one who pulled me aside that night and explained everything. Bonnie's hatred of vampires because of her Grams' death. Katherine, the vampire that Damon and Stefan had loved, had turned Caroline into a vampire out of vengeance. She was looking for a moonstone. Tyler was a werewolf and his uncle had been linked to Katherine. Somehow, Jeremy, my brother, had been caught up in this and Damon had _killed _him. Yet he was still alive because of some ring that my real father, John Gilbert, had given to him. Elena and I had known for a few months that we were adopted. I had had no idea that it was anything to do with Elena being a doppelganger and me being directly related to her.

Elena and I were fraternal twins. In all honesty, I looked more like Jeremy than I did her. But that didn't mean that we weren't sometimes confused. Stefan had revealed to me that Damon had thought about dating me to get over Elena but then realized I would remind him of her too much. I really appreciated that he hadn't tried to date me. I liked the fact that Damon and I could be friends on occasion, except when he was having problems. The Salvatores treated me like I was their sister and not Elena's.

I've always been intensely loyal to my family so it never bothered me to go out of my way to help Elena with Stefan and Damon and their plot against Katherine. I was glad that they were beginning to include me at all, even if it was at arm's length for information. I found it almost shocking that she'd been able to hide it from me this long, that she was still able to hide it from Jenna. Stefan told me that that they'd all been worried about how I would handle it. It's not that I would've been vindictive or mean, quite the opposite. It's that they were worried about me being eternally frightened of them.

I had to admit that I had been terrified of Caroline when I saw her attack someone at the carnival. I had been honestly grateful that I hadn't been the one to walk into the room when Damon had tried kissing Elena unsuccessfully (I would've been permanently dead, unlike Jeremy). But gradually, I warmed back up to Damon. I enjoyed having a friendship with him and Elena and Stefan always encouraged it, saying that it really benefited him. Still, I never did as much as the others. Bonnie and Caroline, of course, had their own powers and to a certain extent, I didn't want to be involved. I listened to the Salvatores when they told me it was dangerous. I listened to Elena when she told me to stay in.

But the night of the Lockwoods' masquerade ball was something neither Elena nor I could have foreseen. Elena and I hadn't been planning on being at the ball, the plan was imminent on Elena not being there. Caroline was insistent that I got nowhere near Katherine because of what she'd done to her. But for whatever reason, we were there anyway, working behind the scenes as usual. Katherine had some spell placed on her that made her injuries occur to Elena too so I tried to help as best as I could. "Bonnie, can't you fix this? What's happening?" demanded Jeremy. "Vivian, her back!" he called to me. Elena had screeched at her new batch of wounds.

"Please, Bonnie, do something," I begged, putting more pressure on everywhere I saw blood. Bonnie walked away, trying to find the witch that Katherine had brought and it wasn't long until I saw Jeremy receive a text from Stefan saying that she had been detained. I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Why don't you both go home?" said Jeremy. He had to clean up the mess, mainly the person that Katherine had killed at the party. I felt a little pang for the girl. She'd been in my math class.

"Sure," I replied, helping Elena up. The injuries had clearly taken a lot out of her. They'd taken a lot out of me just by knowing that there was a spell that could do that.

"I'll probably be late, Viv, so don't wait up." I nodded over at him. "Oh and I want you to wear this. I'm sure Elena agrees." I looked at him in complete shock as he handed over John's ring. I looked over at Elena, who was babying her arm, and she nodded encouragingly. "It'll help make you less nervous."

"I appreciate that, Jeremy, but it's yours. I'd rather you wear it," I said. They both still seemed so nervous that I would be unnerved by everything. Sure, I'd been on edge since our parents' death. All three of us had been but of course, since I kept to myself and was sometimes timid, I had reason to wear a supernatural protective ring over the two of them.

"Take it. For my peace of mind?" He smiled at me and I took the ring. He was my baby brother. Of course, he knew how to make me do what he wants. I looked at it closely and then put it on my index finger. It was too large for the others. Then I started walking toward the dark line of cars.

"Are you okay?" I asked Elena.

"It's not as bad as it looks," she responded.

"Just let me take a second look?"

"Vivian, you worry way too much."

"Clearly, this happens way too much if you're okay with it." She smiled at me a bit, acknowledging how weird it was. I felt in my back pocket for the keys but then we were kidnapped.


	2. Chapter 2

I am obnoxiously loyal to Elena, Jeremy, Stefan, and Damon but mostly, to Elena. Maybe it was the bond twins shared, I was never sure, but I'd always felt like she was my other half. So I was never angry at her for being involved with the supernatural stuff. I wasn't even angry that I'd somehow been dragged into it but when I woke up, groggy and drugged on an old sofa in a dilapidated house, I was very concerned about the both of us.

My hands were tied together and the floor beside the sofa was torn up, with jagged pieces sticking out everywhere. Elena was nowhere in sight and I began to panic. I tried to move but I was still too exhausted to do anything. Besides, those floorboards might really injure me if I accidentally tripped. I would've been tense if I hadn't been so sleepy from whatever I'd been given. I closed my eyes again, praying that it was a dream.

Then I heard the door to the room open. I kept my eyes closed, pretending to be asleep. "I suppose she's still out," said a guy. "You don't think the girl came in here and found her do you?"

"Honestly, Trevor, I think she'd be awake if the doppelganger came in here," responded a woman. I noticed they had accents.

"I think they gave this one too much. She's been out far longer than average and now you've knocked out her sister."

"Well, why did you bring this one anyway?" she demanded. I knew they were talking about me.

"What was I supposed to do when he pulled both of them out? He said they were together at the time and there was no way to separate them. Besides, I like this one already. My life doesn't depend on whether or not she's the doppelganger!"

"You should just go on and kill her. It'll make the girl cooperate." I shivered without thinking.

"No, I told you, I like her and I want-"

"Oh, please, Trevor, like you even need a new pet. Elijah won't be happy about this. Why don't you offer her to him? He'll have to know she's here. Maybe this blunder will actually be a good thing. He can use her to make the doppelganger cooperate with Klaus. Then we're off scot-free."

"Rose, I've already told you, this one is mine!" I groggily opened my eyes, even though I was terrified. I noticed that Jeremy's ring was still on my finger so I felt better about it. I turned and noticed that they were staring straight at me. The guy was someone that I would've found attractive had it not been for the situation and the girl looked irritated at me for existing, which I could've gathered from their conversation. I felt like thanking the man just because he'd ensured that I was still alive. I tried to prop myself up and I saw the guy gesture at the woman. She rolled her eyes and walked out.

The man came and bent down in front of my couch and smiled at me. He was really good looking but I could tell he was a vampire and that being his "pet" meant being fed on. "Hello, I'm Trevor. What's your name?"

I gulped and replied, "Vivian."

"That's a nice Southern name. And your twin is Elena."

"What's going on? Can I see her?" I asked. His smile dropped and he shook his head at me. "Well, can you tell me why we're here?"

"Rose, the woman here before, and I have been on the run for centuries because we let Katherine get away from Klaus." The name Klaus did ring a bell but I still didn't get it. "We're thinking if we hand over Elena then we can clear our names. I'm sorry you got taken." The look on his face told me that he really did feel bad for me and my heart began pounding. They were going to kill Elena.

"Klaus is coming here?" I whispered at him. He shook his head fervently.

"No but Elijah is." That name didn't mean anything to me.

"Who is Elijah?"

"Someone both you and your twin need to behave in front of." I bit my bottom lip at the precarious situation. I felt like crying. Elena was definitely going to die. We'd known from Katherine that something would come for her but I'd never anticipated this. Now this 'Elijah' would take me and probably kill me in order to keep Elena in line. "Oh, don't be upset, sweetheart," Trevor said to me as he put his hands on my face. "Everything will be fine," he said, looking into my eyes. I felt warmer all of a sudden and I knew that he was trying to compel me. Thanks to a bracelet Stefan had given to me, I couldn't be compelled. I leaned back onto the couch, playing along with it. "All better? Well, I decidedly like you better than Elena. You're a lot less forceful, aren't you?"

I nodded at him. That was certainly true. I'd always thought it was idiotic how much Elena thought she could control everything and I wondered what she'd done this time. That woman, Rose, had apparently knocked her out. "Trevor!" Rose called. He gulped as though he was more nervous than I was.

"We'll be up soon… with him. Don't do anything to get noticed by your sister," Trevor said to me. I nodded again.

"Please let me see her," I begged.

"I'm sorry but I can't let you do that." My heart started pounding again as I watched Trevor step around the jagged pieces of floor and walk out of the room. I started trying to fervently untie my wrists but the attempt was futile. I noticed that my phone was on the other side of the room and it looked irreparable. I sank down in the sofa and I felt like sobbing. They hadn't told Elena I was here. Even if someone came looking for us, there was no guarantee that they'd find me.

It wasn't five minutes later when I heard them outside my door. "No, the one in there isn't the doppelganger," said Rose. "It's her fraternal twin. Unfortunately, she got kidnapped by accident. But if you take her, maybe the doppelganger will be more willing to cooperate."

"No, I'm not giving her-" began Trevor but something stopped him from finishing. I didn't doubt that it was a glare from Rose.

"I take it the girl has given you trouble, if she is indeed here?" said a third voice who I could guess belonged to Elijah.

"She is here and yes, she's been rather obnoxiously forceful. I'd rather not have her know that her sister is here."

"Perhaps a wise choice if the girl has been a bit wild."

"Her twin, Vivian, isn't wild at all," said Trevor. I could tell that both Trevor and Rose were absolutely terrified which only served to unsettle me more. Evidently, they really needed to impress this guy.

"No matter. She'll be the perfect leverage, especially since you seem to think she'd be willing to do what I ask." I heard them walk away and I breathed a sigh of relief, commencing into tearing at the rope with my teeth.

A few minutes later, I heard someone scream. I jumped, wanting to get up when I realized that Elena hadn't been hurt. It was another result of us sharing a womb and I assumed all twins had that sixth sense, knowing their other twin is alright or in danger. I knew Elena was fine as sure as if I was in front of her. I put my hands to my mouth anyway and began to breathe faster. I wasn't built for dealing with this.

The scream I'd heard had been a woman's and I could only guess at what happened to Rose… or to Trevor, to have caused that reaction. A few minutes later, I heard my door creak open. I froze. Rose emerged through the doorway and tears streaked her face. Trevor wasn't with her but another man, Elijah, was. My heart started pounding once I realized that he'd killed Trevor, the only person who'd been sort of concerned about my well being. I didn't care if he'd wanted me to be his pet; at least he didn't want to auction me off to this guy. Stefan and Damon could've found me had I been with Trevor. I know he would've made a blunder.

"This is, uh, Vivian," said Rose. I saw her wipe her eyes. Then I finally focused on the man who was moving around the jagged pieces of the floorboard toward me. He bent down in front of me and I tried so hard not to scream out for Elena.

"You don't look all that different from your sister but I'm sure you're different from her in other aspects." Truer words had never been spoken. "Why don't we take this off?" he asked as he pulled my wrists toward him and took off my bracelet with vervaine in it. He threw it across the room and I started biting my lip. "Your twin was trying to negotiate with me and you're not going to do that, are you?" I shook my head. "Are you good at making her behave?" I shook my head again. I actually liked his voice. It had an accent that I couldn't quite place. "I'm sure you're better at it than you think. Rose, get the doppelganger. We're leaving."

"Please don't let him take us," I begged, looking to Rose. Suddenly, she was behind me and I heard a noise in the house.

"What was that?" demanded Elijah.

"I swear, I don't know," said Rose. Then she closed a rag over my mouth and I was out again.


	3. Chapter 3

When I woke up, I was ready to punch someone. These drugs were making my brain feel fuzzy and I was worried that I'd had too much in a certain amount of time. I felt clumsy, which was unusual. As my eyes adjusted, I knew that it was daytime so maybe I really hadn't been out that long. There was no way for me to tell time though, since my phone was ruined on the other side of the room and my vervaine was too. At least I had Jeremy's ring, which I doubted any of the vampires had caught onto.

I gave up on being quiet. We were going to be killed anyway when Klaus got us. "Elena!" I screamed. There was no response. In fact, I didn't think there was anyone in the house at all. This was impossible. My friends had come for Elena but didn't find me. I knew the risk. Now I was regretting not breaking their rules earlier. What did it matter if they kept me from Elena? We were going to be shipped out together regardless.

I sobbed a bit and started trying to work at the rope tying my hands together. Still being groggy from whatever Rose had given me, one real tug at the ties jolted me and I fell with a force off of the sofa. I screeched in pain as I realized that a piece of the floor that had been torn up had basically speared my abdomen. I tried to roll off of it and I couldn't decide if it would be worse to lay there or to roll over and risk bleeding a lot. I chose to bleed because I worried about the infection I could get from the corroded floor. I moaned as I got off of it and then tried to use the floor to get the rope off of my wrists. I screamed again as no matter how hard I tried, the rope couldn't be cut and I was leaving blood everywhere. I attempted to put a lot of pressure on it but just ended up laying on the floor straight. I didn't need to be a doctor to know this injury could be critical. Jeremy's ring wouldn't protect me against anything that wasn't supernatural.

"Elena!" I yelled again, praying that I'd been mistaken and she was still here. I heard the door to the room open and I started crying, I was so relieved. Except Elena wasn't the one who rushed over to me… It was the man from before, Elijah. "Oh God," I said, not being able to decide between bleeding out and dying or dying because this man was going to give me to Klaus or kill me himself.

"Let me heal you," he said, pulling my back off the floor. I gave him what I'm sure was an utterly pitiful look and he didn't give me a chance to respond. He'd bitten his wrist and was holding it to my mouth before I'd had the chance to realize what was going on. I tried to pull back because I knew he was doing this because Elena was gone and he hoped I'd have some sort of information. It didn't matter because his other arm was making sure I got the blood. I immediately felt better and looked down at my stomach when he pulled away. It was completely healed.

"Thank you so much," I said. He smiled a pleasant smile at me and I felt more at ease than I had the entire time I'd been kidnapped. Then I realized that he was no doubt compelling me. I wasn't sure how that worked but it couldn't be impossible for him to be making my nerves go down. He'd taken away my vervaine for a reason.

When he helped me up, he kept his hand on my arm and was clearly not going to untie me. "You're welcome," he responded. "Did your friends leave you?"

"What?" I asked. At seeing him, I figured the plan was still a-go. He had to have Elena too, didn't he?

"They must not have realized you were here." He steered me out of the room and took me out of the house. I felt like crying. Just as I'd suspected, they'd found Elena and hadn't found me because she didn't know I was even there. Now I was paying for it and was being the hostage.

"I won't help you find her." He ran his hands through his blondish hair and looked down at me seriously. I wondered how he was able to go out in the sun but he was wearing a ring the way Damon and Stefan wore one.

"You don't have to. Now we're really leaving." My gaze focused on a car in the driveway of the house and I nodded at him. He clearly didn't have any intention of killing me since he'd probably just saved my life. He opened the door of the car for me and I got in, struggling to buckle my seat belt. I was no doubt shaking from how terrified I was to be alone with him and I felt like crying because I'd missed out on my chance to get away. "Your friends attempted to kill me. That's why I was still here." He turned on the car and pulled out of the drive.

"I suppose I'm lucky that you were."

"You don't have to be so nervous." I gulped and nodded. "My name is Elijah."

"I know. Mine is Vivian."

"I know." I breathed out, trying to calm myself down. I was alone in a car with a vampire who probably couldn't be killed. There was no way Damon and Stefan got away without somehow detaining Elijah. Just driving he was emanating a power that neither of them had. Was he an Original?

"Where is your friend, Rose?" I asked, wondering if he'd killed her too.

"She ran when your friends did. She's no doubt mad at me about Trevor." I nodded again, not wanting to talk about the poor guy. I'd rather liked him for such a short amount of time. "He had quite the interest in you."

"Is that why you killed him?" I asked, trying to make a joke to make myself feel better but it was terrible and it didn't do its job. Elijah smiled a bit at it though.

"You don't have to be scared," he said. "But Trevor betrayed me. I place quite a bit of value on loyalty and clearly, he had none to anyone but himself."

"He mentioned that he let Katherine get away." Elijah nodded. "Are we going to get Rose?"

"Perhaps. We are going to see the man who got in touch with me for her."

"You're going to kill him?" I held my hands over my mouth again and yet again, felt like crying. He looked pained at the mention of his killing people. Maybe it was something he didn't like to do. Oh, I needed a dose of reality. I needed to stop trying to see the best in people, especially people who were this dangerous. Not all vampires were Stefan and even Stefan had his moments.

"I'm sorry that you were left." I frowned unconsciously.

"So am I but thank you for helping me. You didn't have to."

"The blood helped me know you were there and you're welcome." He didn't speak to me for awhile but to be fair, I didn't speak to him either. I think he was worried that talking about anything would unnerve me further. After awhile, I knew we were in Richmond and he pulled into a parking lot across the street from this windowed building. I kept my gaze on it and didn't even realize that Elijah had untied me. I looked down at my wrists and then looked back at him, confused. "You are better behaved than your sister. Can I trust you to stick with me?" I nodded at him and got out of the car when he did.

I followed Elijah down the sidewalk in front of the windowed building and watched as he bent down near a guitar player and gave him a hundred dollar bill. I smiled at that but then I saw him grab coins out of the case. My heart started pounding again and he grabbed my forearm and we walked farther down. "What are you doing with those?" I whispered as he started moving the coins between his hands. He didn't appear to have any emotion but to his credit, I think that was just the way he was. As I looked in the windows longer, I saw Rose and Damon talking to someone. I assumed it was the guy who got in touch with Elijah. I looked over at Elijah who seemed incredibly focused on that window.

The pieces started adding together. Those windows had something in them to protect vampires from the sun. "Please don't do anything. My friend's in there," I said.

"Your friend in there is the one who 'killed' me but as I recall, he could go out in the sunlight anyway," he responded and with that, he casually threw the coins and they busted the windows. All of the vampires other than Damon had begun screaming and I was back at Elijah's car before Damon had had the chance to see me.

"Oh my God, you can't just do stuff like that," I said. "Oh my God." Once I was sitting down in the car, I put my head in my hands. When I finally looked over at Elijah, his face was expressionless but I could tell that he felt bad for me.

He started driving off, no doubt to target the man at home who'd helped Rose. "I take it that you aren't as fond of vampires as Elena is," he said. I felt like punching him for saying her name. He didn't know her personally. He didn't know _me _personally and he was planning on giving up my sister for a sacrifice. But I did owe him conversation. He had saved my life.

"It's not that. It's just that… I'm not used to it. I didn't find out about any of this until a couple of weeks ago. I had no clue about anything." I was being totally honest and he seemed to believe me.

"You didn't even know about Katerina?" I had to smile at his old fashioned way of saying her name. I guessed that he knew her before she changed her name to Katherine, which was no doubt a very long time ago. My theory of him being an Original only increased.

"Maybe once or twice she was pretending to be Elena and I met her but I can't know that for sure. She's never been as angry with me as she was with everyone else. I guess that's because I never went after the Salvatore brothers and I assume you met both of them yesterday." I didn't know why I'd started talking but it was calming me down. Now I was reasoning that they'd probably gotten all of the vampires out of the building before the sun had really killed them.

"If you care to know, I think you look more like Katerina than you do Elena." I laughed a little.

"How is that even possible if they're identical? I should look like them both equally. It's my hair, isn't it?" My hair was wavy and Elena's was always straight except on special occasions. I knew that Katherine liked her hair curly.

"Perhaps that is it." Am I getting Stockholm Syndrome? I argued that I probably wasn't. It was just a result of the fact that Elijah clearly had no plans of killing me… yet.

"You're an Original, aren't you?" I asked as we pulled up outside of an apartment complex.

"They really didn't tell you anything, did they?" We got out of the car and Elijah led me into the building then down a hallway. "I want you to stand out here," he said. The force in his voice made me feel like I could only nod so that's what I decided on. Just as I was thinking there was something really dignified about him, he gave me an untrustworthy vibe. I couldn't get a reading at all on him which made me feel like the human I was compared to him.

The door to the apartment seemed to magically open at his touch and I saw a man standing in the apartment, the same one from the building who'd been chatting with Damon. The look on his face when he saw Elijah made me scared for him. The door closed behind Elijah and I stood near it. I contemplated making a run for it but there was no way I could escape an Original. I really didn't want to invoke his wrath unnecessarily.

I was shaking again, mostly with nervousness now for the man inside the apartment. I vaguely heard a conversation after awhile. The man was talking to someone on the phone about getting the moonstone and how it could break the Sun and the Moon Curse. I wracked my brain for anything Stefan, Damon, Bonnie, or Elena had said about it and all I could remember was that it made sure vampires couldn't go out in sunlight and werewolves had to change at a full moon. I didn't understand why breaking it would be important. Was that the ritual they needed Elena for? I wasn't sure.

"How can you compel me? A vampire can't compel another vampire," I heard Slater say. I'd finally heard his name.

"I'm a special vampire," said Elijah.

"What, because you're an Original?" Elijah made a noise at that.

"Now I want you to take this and drive it through your heart." I gasped because I knew he was handing over a stake or something like it. He was actually _compelling _someone to kill themselves.

"But that would kill me forever." The guy sounded nervous and I was scared all over again.

"I know… but it's necessary." Necessary? How is killing Slater _necessary? _

"Was it really?" I heard a third voice say. The voice sounded somewhat familiar but I wasn't sure who it belonged to. It couldn't have been any vampire that I knew.

"It had to be done. He delivered his message. It won't be long now." The door opened and I jumped when I saw Elijah. He didn't come all the way out of the apartment. "Did you hear everything?" I nodded. "You can go," he said and I noticed he was handing over the car keys. I searched his face for any sign of a trick but I could tell he was really letting me go.

"Why?" I asked, grabbing the keys.

"Vivian, it won't be long until I see you again anyway." He smiled at me and I took what I could get. At least this way I could warn Elena before he came again.

"Thank you for this," I said and turned and ran to the car before he'd changed his mind. It occurred to me that he'd left me in the hallway because he knew I wouldn't want to see Slater killed. Maybe he really did feel bad for me and my poor nerves. It wouldn't be the first or the last time someone did.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey! Oh my gosh, I am completely and totally sorry that I haven't updated in so long. There's no excuse when it comes to this story other than that it was a completely half-baked idea when I originally started writing it and I was in the middle of a fic that I wanted to get done in a certain amount of time and it just ended up running over what I originally thought it was gonna be. So I don't think I should've started this at the time that I did but hopefully I will update more frequently now. Recently, my problem with updating any of my fics has been that I haven't had Internet in about a month and I'm only updating this now because I'm at a friend's house. Next week I'll be out of town and hopefully able to update again. I know many of the people who read this, read Gilbert Sister too and next week is when I hope there will be a chapter for that. But I really want to thank you for the support this story and Gilbert Sister has gotten. More people message me about these fics than any of my others and I really appreciate the interest. And like I said, maybe my Internet will get fixed soon and I will be able to update more frequently. **

** But as for this story, if people have some suggestions, I'm always welcome to that. As I already stated, this really was a half-baked idea at the time of it's origin. But I like the idea of staying close to the show because I want Vivian to get to know Klaus and Elijah separately from each other and I think the way the show went last season really lends itself to that pretty well. But anyway, thanks so much for continued support and I would love to hear more feedback. As usual, Vivian is the only thing that belongs to me.**

I arrived back in Mystic Falls thanks to my fantastic sense of direction and my first goal was to eat something. I walked into the grill and Matt came over and talked to me. "You want me to put in an order for you, Viv?" he asked.

"Are ya'll still making those fantastic cheese fries?" I responded. He nodded at me then turned to leave. "Actually, Matt, could I use your phone? Mine got broken and I should call Elena." He shrugged and handed over his phone. I dialed Damon's number instead of Elena's, just because I was worried about Jenna overhearing something. When he picked up, I breathed a sigh of relief. "Hey Damon."

"Vivian? Where the hell are you? We've been looking everywhere," he said and he sounded exasperated. Damon and I were pretty good friends.

"You are seriously not gonna believe this but can you please come to The Grill with Elena? I'm trying to stay in a public place right now."

"We're in Richmond. I was trying to find this guy, Slater that I talked to yesterday with Rose and Elena and Bonnie traced you here." Rose? Was she on our side?

"Damon, listen to me when I am telling you this. You need to come home now. Is Elena with you? Get her home now."

"What the hell's going on?"

"Slater is dead, Damon. There is no point for you to be there and I am telling you straight, Elena is in grave danger if she stays. Don't go into his apartment, please don't."

He lowered his voice. "Are you alright, Vivian? I mean, are you seriously okay? How do you know that Slater is dead?"

"I was there yesterday. I was in that house with Elena and she didn't know I was there so ya'll passed me over. I have been with Elijah ever since. He just let me go."

"I'm so sorry. We had no clue you were there." Damon really didn't have any clue so I didn't blame him. "But what are you talking about? I killed that guy."

"He's an Original, Damon. You can't kill him. He compelled Slater to kill himself. Can ya'll just come home now? I'm getting worried."

"We're already in the guy's apartment. Elena's talking to his girlfriend or something. She told us that he was killed. But what do you mean he compelled him to kill himself? Vampires can't do that."

"I promise you that he can. I am deadly serious when I tell you to bring her home now. She needs to be where he hasn't been invited in."

"Did he do anything to you?" I shook my head as though he could see it.

"He actually ended up helping me but that's not the point. He broke those windows where you and Rose were talking to Slater. He compelled Slater to kill himself and there was somebody else in that apartment when he did it. He's got a friend to work with him and I think it's someone I've seen before. I didn't see him though. I just recognized his voice. I am begging you to take this seriously, Damon. That apartment isn't safe."

"Then there's something you need to know, Viv. Elena has called someone to give herself over to save all of us. The reason I'm even here is to make sure she doesn't do it. These thugs are supposed to show up at any minute." My breath caught in my throat. Elena couldn't do that.

"Are you serious?" I whispered, trying to keep my voice down.

"She thinks they have you and that if she gives herself up, they'll let you go and promise not to hurt anyone in Mystic Falls."

"Tell her I'm at The Grill. Damon, do something about this!" My voice cracking and I was worried. Who cares if Damon was actually able to convince Elena not to give herself up? She'd already called these guys. That was enough.

"I'll take care of it. Are you alone right now?"

"Yeah, I'm sitting alone."

"I'll call Bonnie to come over or something."

"I appreciate it." Then we hung up. It wasn't long and Bonnie had walked up and sat with me. She felt personally responsible for the Salvatores not finding me.

"I'm so relieved you're alright. I did the search on Elena… We figured you'd be with her," she said. I shook my head.

"Honestly, I'm fine. The guy didn't harm me or anything." Bonnie had been worried sick when she walked into The Grill and had hugged me so hard, I thought one of my ribs would crack. She still really hadn't calmed down and like I said, she totally blamed herself for me being kidnapped at all.

"How did you get away?" I shrugged.

"He let me go. He was kinda decent actually." Bonnie gripped my hand.

"Damon mentioned you think he was an Original."

"He told me as much, Bonnie. And Damon thought that he'd killed him." She looked taken aback that the whole thing had happened. "The guy fed me his blood too."

"Are you serious? You mean, if you died right now…" I nodded but then I held up my left hand that had Jeremy's ring on it.

"I hope it wouldn't affect me with this." I couldn't keep a smile from creeping onto my face. I was actually incredibly thankful that Jeremy had given me the ring from John. It made me feel better to know that I had it and that probably Elijah hadn't caught onto it. "I wish there was one for Jeremy though. I don't wanna have to worry about him." Bonnie nodded. Jeremy and I were really the only plain humans left that were substantially involved. Ric had a ring like mine and Jenna didn't seem to be in imminent danger but that could change.

Bonnie and I ate dinner together and I tried to tell her everything I could remember about what had happened since the masquerade party. She filled me in and told me that Katherine was in the tomb and that Rose was willing to help us, saying there was a way to block the curse if we destroyed the moonstone. That way Elena would no longer be in danger. Bonnie had just come from taking Jeremy home after he idiotically went into the tomb to retrieve the moonstone from Katherine. Stefan had gone in and thrown Jeremy to safety.

"Oh my God, he's stuck in there now? Does Elena know?" I asked. Bonnie shook her head.

"Damon ran off after her and Rose when he heard that Elena was trying to give herself up to save you. If he knows, he won't tell her right now," she replied. I ran a hand through my hair and sucked my breath in. This situation was only going to get worse.

Bonnie's phone rang and she said it was Damon requesting us over at the Salvatore place. I pulled myself up out of the booth after paying Matt, getting into Bonnie's car and leaving the one Elijah had let me drive in the parking lot. I could look at that later. Maybe we could track the ownership to something that would help us. I mean, I doubted Elijah was someone who put his name on something legal if he was an Original but it would be a start.

When we walked in, Elena was in tears after an encounter at the tomb where Stefan was locked with Katherine. That was a major concern because Katherine had made her interest in Stefan clear. But that wasn't even mentioned.

Elena enveloped me in a bone-crushing hug, much like the one Bonnie had given me, and I had to choke back tears. I'd been worried about her today. When she moved away, Damon gave me a solid nod and I nodded back. Damon cared for me, I knew that, and I liked the small things he did that let me know I was truly his friend.

I sat down on one of their couches and looked between the two of them after Bonnie had decided to let us talk about vampire business. "Don't get upset but Rose is here," said Damon. "I take it you remember her." I nodded as she came into the room. I gripped the arm rest to the couch but she smiled at me and I relaxed, knowing that her opinion of me as useless had changed. I didn't know what made me feel that way but her smile told it all.

"I'm sorry about Trevor," I said. Her smile dropped but she made it reappear just as quickly.

"Thanks," Rose responded. "And I'm sorry about Elijah." I shook my head.

"It was fine, really," I said. Elena's eyes widened and Damon rolled his eyes.

"Don't spare us," he said. "Tell us everything."

"I was in an upstairs room," I began, "and the floor was really jagged, sort of torn up and I'd been drugged when I guess you and Stefan came in and when I woke up the next day, I called for Elena. Then I fell off where I was laying and part of the floor speared my stomach." Elena gasped. Damon looked confused; a scent of fresh blood wasn't coming off of me. "And then the door to the room opened back up and there Elijah was. I'd met him the night before and he thought I could make Elena cooperate. But he fed me his blood to heal me without really asking and took me with him to Richmond where he threw those coins and made Slater kill himself. Then he let me go. I have the car he gave me. Maybe that will help?" Damon had to close his eyes and shake his head in disbelief. Elena just looked shocked and Rose didn't look like she understood what I was saying.

"Elijah let you go?" Rose asked.

"He gave you a car?" asked Elena.

"He's been nothing but an asshole to me so I don't get it," said Damon.

"I dunno," I said. "I think he knew that I'm not used to it. But he did say I'd see him again."

"Yeah, sooner than you think. He showed up today and killed the dudes Elena called once he knew no one else would be coming. Then he left." I tilted my head to the side.

"Elena, I can't believe you would give yourself over." She shook her head.

"I don't want people to get hurt because of me," said Elena. "Besides, I thought they might be holding you. I'm so sorry, I had no clue you were there."

"That was the point," said Rose, lowly.

"What are you talking about, people would get hurt?" I asked. "It sounds like the only person who could possibly get hurt is you. Trevor told me I was taken just because I was with you at the time. They aren't out for me. We need to help you." She shook her head.

"I visited Katherine earlier while Stefan was looking for you and she told me about the ritual."

"For the sun and the moon curse?" Damon nodded.

"It's not just me they need. Katherine has been working to get the extra elements by turning Caroline, making sure Tyler turned, and using Bonnie. The ritual needs a witch, a vampire, a werewolf, and me to be killed. She wants to hand us over because she escaped the same thing five hundred years ago and Klaus has been looking for her ever since. He murdered her entire family for running and turning into a vampire. And I don't want that. Damon and Stefan have done more than enough and I don't wanna risk you and Jeremy." I couldn't believe it. I felt like I might be sick.

"You've flown under the radar this far, Viv," said Damon, "but you're not there anymore. And I've tried to kill an Original who evidently can't be killed. Elena's made herself known to the world. We're screwed." My hands covered my mouth.

"It can't be that bad?" I said, posing it as a question.

"Oh, it is," said Rose. "Klaus is the real deal. He is the oldest vampire in the world. Elijah was the Easter Bunny compared to him." Elijah had been incredibly intimidating but I hadn't found him incredibly terrifying. Then again, I didn't have my vervaine bracelet so I didn't have any proof at all that he hadn't compelled me.

"And he is for sure coming here for Elena?" I choked out.

"It's only a matter of time. I don't plan on being here when it happens." Rose clearly thought a confrontation was inevitable. Elena was to that point as well and it was hard to see where Damon sat on the matter. But Damon and Stefan would die before they let anything happen to Elena. Rose and I weren't going to have that luxury. Maybe I had Jeremy but Elena was right, he shouldn't be involved. It was dangerous in general.

"And there's something else we wanna tell you," said Elena. "You're my twin and even though we're not identical, we act like we are."

"What she's saying is that these guys may involve you even though you're not specifically the doppelganger," said Damon. "Katherine didn't have a twin so there's nothing to judge this on."

"I don't get what you're saying," I said slowly. This was really freaking me out. Were they saying I was a part to the sacrifice?

"There's not a part for you in the ritual," said Rose as I breathed a sigh of relief, "but it's strange that a doppelganger would have a twin. The witch who created the curse used Petrova blood so the doppelganger was created as a way to undo the magic." Petrova was the bloodline Elena and I originally descended from. It had long been thought the line ended with Katherine. "But why would a doppelganger have a twin, particularly one who wasn't identical?"

"Well, I mean, fraternal twins are basically like any siblings. They just shared a womb, not an egg," I said, reciting information that had been told to Elena and I over and over. "So we don't have the same DNA or anything. If I'm valuable, Jeremy should be."

Damon shook his head and responded, "There is something odd about you. We're gonna have Bonnie find out if there was magic involved, if she can. But what we're saying is that you aren't behind the scenes anymore. This Elijah guy isn't gone forever." I nodded.

"I know this is a lot," said Elena, "but after Damon said you'd been with Elijah, we thought you needed to know what we were thinking."

"No, I'm glad you told me but I just don't get it. I don't get how being your twin has some bearing on my destiny. I'm not the doppelganger." I knew I was coming off desperately and I was still not in as bad a situation as Elena, Caroline, or Tyler but I had had no clue that being informed about the supernatural world was going to cost me total normalcy.

"We don't know either but Rose got us to thinking about it." So there was another thing to blame Rose for. This whole situation was only getting stranger.

Elena and I went home after Damon promised to look into the car Elijah had let me drive home. I had no doubt that there'd been enough time for him to completely erase records of the car anywhere but it was worth the look if it turned anything up. When I arrived in the house, instead of automatically feeling safer, I felt strange. Someone had been in this house. My theory of that increased when Elena told me some things in her room were missing. After I hugged Jeremy, I crawled in bed and slept soundly, trying to forget about the kidnapping and the inevitable problem with Klaus.

The next day, I found that Bonnie had spelled the house so that Elena couldn't leave. With Stefan locked in the tomb and Bonnie needing to concentrate on working the moonstone into a nonentity, Elena wanted them to ignore the moonstone. So of course, that resulted in making Damon take extra precautions. I volunteered to stay in with her before helping Jenna with someone wanting to write a local history book. She was hoping I could get all the boxes out of our storage for the guy.

I started to the task of pulling things out of the back of closets and our attic after a while of just sitting with Elena. She went to her room and I came downstairs holding a couple of boxes when I heard the front door open. There was Jenna and the guy no doubt. The second box I held obscured my view and I prayed that I didn't trip down the stairs. I heard Jenna start pulling things from the hall closet when I reached the bottom. I looked around my boxes and smiled at Jenna. "Thank God for you, Vivian, really," she said. "If I'd had to pull down all this stuff by myself, I would've definitely killed myself. I can't believe I got roped into helping Mrs. Lockwood with this." She seemed to catch herself but I honestly couldn't see much around my tower. "And by roped I mean very excited to participate." I heard the closet door shut and immediately the top box I was holding was lifted away.

"Let me help you," I heard a voice say. I dropped the box on the floor that I was still holding when I saw that Elijah was the one helping me. I openly gasped and dropped to the floor immediately.

"I'm so sorry," I said. "You startled me." I clutched the box close to me once again and Elijah smiled at me nicely.

"No, I'm sorry, it's my fault," he replied. "I'm Elijah." I nodded.

"Vivian."

"Elijah's in town doing research on Mystic Falls," said Jenna, grabbing the box I was holding and placing it in the dining room, taking away my shield. She came back for his immediately.

"It's a pleasure," Elijah said, extending his hand. Shaking, I grabbed it, knowing how startled I must've looked. He was being so pleasant.

"Well, you're welcome to stay here and rummage through this stuff or Vivian and I could help you load it into your car," said Jenna, returning from the other room. I had no doubt his car was the one I had driven from Richmond.

"Or I could get someone to pick it up tomorrow," he replied.

"Also a good plan."

"Thank you for inviting me into your home, Jenna," he said, moving past me and following Jenna to the door. "And Vivian, I hope to see you again sometime soon."

I took off up the stairs as he said goodbye to Jenna once again and I grabbed the handle to Elena's door. "Elena!" I said. "Open up! Elena!" She hadn't responded when I'd been pulled away from the door with a hand clamped over my mouth. I squirmed for a little while but eventually stopped when the intruder's other arm clamped around my waist, forcing me to calm down.

"Be still," Elijah said, his voice already familiar to me. I nodded and he released me. I tried to catch my breath as I moved back from him. "That was a wise choice."

"What are you doing here? What do you want?" I whispered.

"I think it's time Elena and I had a little chat. You make sure no one interferes."

"Um, okay," I said.

"I'm not here to hurt anyone," he said, seeing if that would make me trust him. But I only nodded and he slid into Elena's room. Elena couldn't leave anyway. I eavesdropped on their conversation heavily. Elijah truly didn't know where Klaus was and he didn't want anyone to know where Elena was. He wanted to kill Klaus and protect the people that Elena cared about. But Elena wanted to negotiate even though I knew that Elijah wasn't lying about being a man of his word. The thing she wanted though, was for Stefan to be released from the tomb.

Elijah waltzed past me and out of the room with a simple nod. It wasn't long until I heard Stefan enter the house.

The next couple of days were quiet aside from the arrival of John, Elena and I's biological father. Katherine had told Stefan that Isobel, our biological mother, was a good place to start for more research. I wasn't fond of the idea mostly because I didn't like Isobel and it was clear she thought of me as the lesser daughter. Now I knew that she was a vampire and had focused her attention on Elena because of Stefan and Damon and our ancestor's device.

Apparently no one approved of the deal Elena had made with Elijah. Damon and Stefan were yelling about how he couldn't be trusted because he was an Original, Bonnie knew the witches that worked for him and that led her to suspicion. So I became the only one vaguely in support of it. I actually, against my better judgment, really liked Elijah. I thought he would be a man of his word. And he already had been. He'd had one of the witches on his side help out Caroline the other day. If that wasn't proof that we could trust him, I didn't know what was.

But John gave Damon a dagger that could kill Elijah; a dagger that they had to dip in the ashes of an old white oak tree that dated to the time of the Originals. Killing people the way Damon did had always upset me but this, hurting Elijah, I knew this was a really bad idea. If we broke a deal with him and it failed, there was no way of knowing the repercussions.

Stefan and Elena headed out to our family's old lake house and I went with Jenna to the tea party that was commemorating something Jenna didn't remember. We were going to help give Elijah more information on the town. I hoped I acted normal and didn't give anything away. Elena was supposed to stay in town or at least, I thought that was part of the deal.

I split from Jenna once inside because I caught sight of Damon. "What are you doing here?" I whispered. He didn't respond because the news girl from Channel 12 had come up and kissed him. New girl of the week, hello. So he came for her? Unusual but I wouldn't put it past him. If he was up to anything, he certainly wouldn't tell me.

I stood back when Damon walked over to where the mayor and Elijah were talking. Damn. If he did anything out of line, he could be killed. So I followed them when they walked away from the main crowd. "Damon," I whispered once Elijah was inside the door of another room. Damon rolled his eyes and turned back to me. "Don't do something stupid!" When I tried to force my way into the door, Damon pushed me back.

"Uh uh, no way," he said. "You aren't allowed in the big bad vampire club."

"Damon, seriously!" He responded by walking into the room and closing the door behind him. I jerked on the handles until I heard them start talking.

"Where's Elena?" Elijah asked.

"Safe with Stefan. They're laying low," said Damon. "There's been a bit of a werewolf problem." One had bitten Rose, dealing her a deathly blow and they had also taken Caroline. I felt bad that I hadn't felt worse about Rose's death.

"Oh yeah, I heard about that."

"I'm sure you did since it was your witch who saved the day." Don't sass him. Is Damon seriously about to try to stab Elijah at this freaking tea party?

"You_ are_ welcome."

"Which adds to my confusion of exactly why you're here." Oh, he wanted endgame information before he even thought about touching Elijah. Everyone was confused about why Elijah would offer a deal in the first place. Why did he want to kill Klaus? None of us knew.

"You stay focused on keeping the doppelganger safe and leave the rest to me."

"That's not good enough." I heard a bang and I finally let go of the door handle. When I heard a moan, I knew it was Damon on the receiving end.

"You young vampires are so arrogant. You should have listened to your friend outside. Don't do anything stupid. How dare you come in here and challenge me?"

"You can't kill me or Vivian now, it's not part of the deal."

"Why would I touch her when all she's done is try to make sure _you_ didn't step out of line?" I heard Damon yell and I backed away slowly. "I'm an Original. Show a little respect. The moment you cease to be of use to me, you're dead so you should do what I say. Keep Elena safe and start listening to the advice Vivian gave you."

The door opened and I rushed in, startled to see Damon clutching his bleeding neck. "Oh God, Damon," I said. When I turned back Elijah nodded at me and then left.

I helped Damon up and Alaric and I went back to the Salvatore house. After a while, the two of them were drinking and I was just wandering around, looking at their bookshelves in the room. "Well, today was a total bust," said Damon.

"How's your throat?" I asked.

"Sore."

"Yeah, that Elijah's one scary dude," said Alaric. "But with nice hair." I laughed because it was true.

"He's gonna be hard to kill."

"Yeah, I'd think twice before I trusted a dagger and some ashes to do the job. You're gonna need more info on that."

"I'd think twice before you did it at all," I said. "We have no reason to believe he's gonna renege on this deal."

"Other than that he's already told me he's gonna kill me," said Damon.

"Which was your own fault might I add."

"Well, while you're up, Viv, do you mind going into Stefan's room and finding some reference books? I have absolutely no sources besides John and like we're gonna trust that douchebag." I shrugged and ran out of the room and up the stairs.

I had barely entered Stefan's room when I heard a yell from Ric and soon after, I heard Damon scream and bangs as the house shook. "Grab that one and leave the other, he's dead," said a voice. Oh God, who? Ric? Was Ric dead?

I slowly closed the door to Stefan's room and barricaded myself inside, wracking my brain for what to do. Who had broken in? It had to be the werewolves. That was the only logical conclusion. I shuddered and heard other noises in the house. They knew there was a third person. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and thought of who I could call. The top people on my list were all otherwise engaged. Damon was downstairs, kidnapped. Stefan was out of town. Caroline and Bonnie were doing some trick to get information out of one of the witches working for Elijah. That was it. Elijah.

Luckily, I had a number that should reach him. Jenna had given it to me in case I found extra information for the book he was supposedly writing. Closing myself in Stefan's closet, I hit send and waited. It was the longest thirty seconds of my life, waiting for him to pick up and knowing that there was someone scouring the house looking for me. I heard the phone pick up and I didn't even give a chance for him to say hello. "Is this Elijah?" I whispered. My heart was pounding so hard I thought it might fall out of my chest.

"Vivian?" Yes, thank you lord, it was him.

"I need your help." My terror was palpable. "I'm at the Salvatore house and I think werewolves have broken in and they're about to get me and they already have Damon and you were the only person I could think of. Please."

"Of course," he responded. "Stay calm. I will be there." The door to the closet opened and I dropped the phone when I was coarsely pulled out and thrown over a man's shoulder. A needle was stuck into my arm and I screamed.

"I'm human!" I said when I realized they were putting vervaine in my system.

"Shut up," one responded. They thrust me into the Salvatores' living room, tying my hands and feet to one of their chairs. There were several people in the room that I didn't recognize and Alaric was on the floor, seemingly dead. He had his ring on and I breathed a sigh of relief until I saw Damon. He was literally being tortured. He had some collared device with wooden spikes around his neck.

"Kill her," said a woman. I clutched my ring and waited when someone put their hands to my head, ready to snap my neck.

"She's the twin," Damon said. "The doppelganger's twin." The woman shook her head and the person grabbing me, released me.

I struggled against my bonds when they pulled the chain around Damon's neck, causing him to cry out in pain. "Where is the moonstone?" the woman asked. She must've been Jules, the one Damon said had come back searching for Mason.

"Keep asking and I'll keep not telling you," Damon replied. She smirked.

"You can heal from everything I'll do to you but your friend here, she can't." Jules turned on me and my eyes went wide. "So I'll ask again, where is the moonstone?"

"Looking for this?" I turned my head to the side when I heard that voice. Elijah was standing in the doorframe and I was so relieved, I almost started crying. He was holding the moonstone up. Strange because I thought Bonnie had had it destroyed. He moved forward and placed it on one of the side tables. "Go ahead, take it." When one of the men tried to do just that, Elijah caught him and tore his heart out. I gasped.

Jules ran out of the house but the others weren't so lucky. Then Elijah broke the chains holding Damon down. "You do realize this is the third time I've saved your life now," said Elijah. Damon only smirked.

When Elijah untied me, I honestly felt more relieved than I would've thought possible. "Thank you so much," I said. I didn't miss Damon rolling his eyes.

"It's been my pleasure," he responded. "Feel free to ask again any time. I owe you." I nodded. Then he grabbed the moonstone and left.

I refused to leave until Ric had woken up and in the meantime, Bonnie called Damon, telling him some bad news. "I know this is something you don't wanna hear, Vivian, but your knight in shining armor, Elijah, has sacrificing Elena as part of his main plan," said Damon. "Bonnie got it out of that witch's head. Apparently in any scenario, Elena has to be killed."

"What?" I asked.

"Sorry but now we have to kill him. I'll tell Stefan to keep Elena out of town longer." I nodded slowly. Something told me this went right along with what Elena wanted to do and that was the worst part.


	5. Chapter 5

Even though I knew Damon doing something stupid was imminent, I still couldn't escape seeing Elijah around town. Jenna insisted that the two of us should show him around because he was still keeping up the premise that he was here to write a local history book. During the day, we took him on a tour of some historical spots.

"The Old Fell property starts actually just beyond that fence," said Jenna, pointing at it. I trailed behind the two of them and cinched my coat tighter around me.

"The Fells, one of the founding families," said Elijah but he had a kick of humor to his voice that I liked.

"Why do you say it like that?"

"Because we were originally settled by people on the run from Salem," I said. The two of them stopped and Elijah turned to me, looking a bit surprised.

"Yes, my research showed me that this area was settled almost two full centuries earlier than what is typically thought," said Elijah. "A group of people from Salem, like Vivian said, are the ones who came."

"Like the Salem witch trials?" said Jenna. Elijah nodded.

"It means that our so-upheld founding families didn't actually 'found' anything," I said. At that, Elijah smiled.

"You know more about your town's history than everyone else seems to," said Elijah. I laughed a little. History was just something I'd always had an affinity for and Mystic Falls was rich with it.

"Vivian is just a history buff," said Jenna. "I honestly thought about throwing the two of you together for the whole thing. She'd be much more of a help than I am." I felt heat rise to my face and I didn't really know why.

"Well, I'm glad you agreed to come along then," Elijah said to me and I nodded.

After we'd moved further, I saw Ric heading towards us. What the heck was this? He smiled and waved and Jenna just looked confused. Something was up between them lately and I hadn't bothered to ask. "Elijah, this is my… friend, Alaric Saltzman," said Jenna. Elijah didn't tense up but I could tell he recognized him. I doubted Ric wanted us alone with the guy.

"Yeah, I got your message about you and Vivian walking Elijah by the old property lines," he said. "I figured, being a history teacher and all, I could tag along." Jenna didn't look pleased but it didn't deter Alaric. "Where to next?"

"I'm pretty curious about the freed slave property owners. Some say the descendants of the slaves are the true keepers of American history," said Elijah. I nodded.

"That's some pretty interesting stuff, especially around here," I said.

"Well, I only brought the land surveys," said Jenna, "but I've got that list in my car. Just give me a minute." She walked off and I froze, waiting for some showdown between Ric and Elijah.

"Alaric Saltzman, you're one of those people on Elena's list of loved ones to protect," said Elijah. Ric bristled and I took a step back.

"Yeah, so is Jenna," he replied.

"You don't need to worry about her or be jealous. She's not really my type." My hands gripped my coat around me and I looked between the two of them. "I'm joking with you, Ric. Lighten up."

"Right," Alaric said.

We continued the tour and I threw in some tidbits that I knew and Elijah always seemed pleased. We even got into some pretty interesting conversations. I felt terrible that I knew his death was imminent. Ric split after the tour and Jenna and I later went with Elijah to the Grill. Little did I know Damon and Ric were there with Andie, Damon's girl of the week.

Damon waved us over and Jenna gladly went. "Hey guys!" she said. I exchanged a look with Elijah but we walked over anyway.

"Didn't you have quite a meeting of historical minds today?" said Damon. "Vivian, the reader, Elijah, the writer, and Ric, the history teacher. Sorry, Jenna, where do you fit in?" He laughed and I did too to make myself relax.

"Oh, very funny. But you're right, I don't. Carol Lockwood is too busy right now to help and she's practically a genius with Mystic Falls' history."

"You've both been quite a help," said Elijah.

"Well, as much as I'd like to continue this, I've got papers to grade," said Ric, making his way to leave. Did he think Elijah was into Jenna? Oh, my God, I hoped that wasn't true.

"Well, you know what, we should continue this," said Andie. She was under a lot of compulsion and the scarf around her neck gave everything away. "Let's have a dinner party!" I immediately started backing away. I wasn't included in those plans.

"Oh, my girl full of good ideas!" said Damon. "I'd be happy to host!" Elijah looked skeptical beside me and my heart started pounding fast. There was no way he was going to be stupid enough to try to kill Elijah while Jenna was in the house. "Let's say, tonight?"

"Good with me," said Andie. "Jenna?" She and Alaric had conflicting ideas but eventually agreed on being there. "Elijah?"

"It'd be a pleasure," he responded, "but I'll only agree if you come." Alaric twisted in his seat quick enough to give him whiplash. Damon wasn't even trying to conceal how shocked he was and Jenna actually started smiling. It was then I realized he'd directed the comment at me.

"I- I couldn't possibly intrude on the adult dinner," I said.

"Please, you are an adult," said Andie, mock rolling her eyes. Damon raised his eyebrows.

"You have such an old soul anyway," said Jenna.

"I say you're more than welcome," Damon said. Ric was glowering but I couldn't help myself.

"Sure, I'd love to be there," I said.

"You wanna help me set up?" Damon asked.

"Yeah, yeah, sure. I'll just stick with you," I replied. "I had a lot of fun helping today," I said when Elijah and Jenna made to leave. "Just let me know if I can do anything else." Elijah half smiled.

"I certainly will," he responded.

"What the hell was that?" demanded Ric. I sank into the booth beside him.

"I have no idea," I said.

"You've been so accommodating to him," said Damon. "He's got to know you're the only one of us who vaguely likes him. He wants you there as some sort of human shield."

"Don't you dare try something while Jenna is the house," said Ric. Damon shrugged. But Andie leaned forward on the table and looked right at me.

"Is it possible Elijah has a thing for you?" she asked, almost whispering. My mouth dropped open.

"I don't- No, that's insane. He's way too- No," I said. The idea was so preposterous that I had no idea how anyone could've come to that conclusion. Elijah was an Original. My only claim to fame happened to be being Elena's twin sister.

"Well, you're so polite to him and he stood by you the entire time, even when you moved back from us." Damon looked at Andie like she'd had a mental breakthrough.

"He did," Damon said, smirking. "Looks like you've got an Original hot on your tail, Vivian." I felt my face flush again and I shook my head.

"He's just nice to me. That doesn't mean anything," I said.

"I need a drink," said Ric.

Ric, Damon, and I stayed in the Salvatore house for most of the day, after I had changed into nicer clothes then Andie and Jenna arrived to help cook and set the table. "I think this is all a bad idea," said Ric.

"I agree," I said.

"There's no such thing as a bad idea; just poorly executed awesome ideas," said Damon.

"I don't like the idea of Elijah being in the same house with Jenna and Vivian," said Ric. Damon made a face.

"Jenna is perfectly safe. Vivian was invited by our oh-so- honored guest. Besides, this is just a fact-finding mission. It's harmless."

"So you're not gonna do anything stupid?" I asked.

"No sneak attacks, no surprise plans, nothing that is gonna put Jenna and Vivian in harm's way," Ric said.

"Scout's honor!" said Damon, holding up two fingers. I covered up my laugh.

Andie came in and said Jenna needed help setting things up so Ric and I left the room. I set the table and waited. When I heard the doorbell ring, I ran to get it but Jenna beat me there. I don't know why I felt a little disappointed. But when the door opening revealed John, my biological father, I was more than a little relieved.

"Who invited him?" asked Jenna.

"John, what a surprise!" said Damon. "Now leave!"

"When Jenna told me she and Vivian were coming to a dinner party with Elijah, I decided I couldn't miss out on all the fun and games," John replied. I felt like rolling my eyes.

"Well, there aren't gonna be any games tonight, John. It's just a friendly dinner party," said Ric.

"What he said," said Damon.

"Come on in," I said and showed John down the hallway. John was totally a jerk but I had been more willing to give him a chance than anyone else. Maybe that had something to do with me being oblivious to what happened with the device on Founder's Day.

"Please tell me you are being careful, Vivian," John said when we stopped in front of the dining room. "I know how naïve and trusting you can be." I resented that, even though it was true.

"I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself," I responded.

"No, you're not. We both know that. That ring isn't a failsafe way of taking care of yourself, Vivian. I trust you don't need the lecture on using it." I shook my head.

"I haven't had to use it. Jeremy gave it to me a couple of weeks ago. I doubt I'll need it tonight."

"Nevertheless, don't take it off. You don't know what Elijah has in mind for you regarding the sacrifice." With that, he walked off and I paused. Was he seriously suggesting I had something to worry about with the sacrifice?

I heard the doorbell again and I walked back down the hallway. Again, someone beat me to it. This time it was Damon. "Thank you for coming!" said Damon. "Please come in." Elijah stayed on the other side of the doorframe.

"Just one moment," said Elijah. "Can I just say that if you have less than honorable intentions about how this evening is going to proceed, I suggest you reconsider."

"No, nothing dishonorable. Just a getting to know you type thing."

"Well, that's good." Elijah walked in after, no doubt, one charming smile by Damon. "Because, you know, although Elena and I have this deal, if you make a move to cross me, I will kill you and I will kill everyone in this house. Are we clear?" My heart felt like it stopped. I had a moment of almost paralyzing fear. I had no doubt that he wasn't saying this for show.

"Crystal," responded Damon. I saw him gesture with his hand behind his back and I stepped out from where I'd been. I barely mustered a smile.

"Vivian, you look great," Elijah said. "And Jenna, how wonderful to see you again." Thank God Jenna had stepped in.

When we moved to the dining room, Damon made a face and gestured with his head for me to sit on one side of the table. When I grabbed my chair, I noticed the one beside me moved and Elijah slunk down into it. He smiled at me and I smiled back, which was surprisingly easy to do. I couldn't ignore the looks John was giving me. As we were eating, I thought the evening was going well enough.

"Sorry to break it to you, Damon, but according to Elijah and Vivian, your family is so not a founder of this town," said Jenna.

"Oh, do tell," said Damon.

"Well, as I mentioned to Jenna earlier, a faction of settlers moved here from Salem in the 1690s," said Elijah. "They developed this community where they could feel safe without some persecution." I nodded.

"They were witches!" said Jenna.

"Well, there's no tangible proof there were witches in Salem," said Andie.

"Andie is a journalist; big on the facts," said Damon.

"Well, the lore says that there was this wave of anti-witch hysteria that broke out in a neighboring settlement," said Elijah.

"Wait, is that the one where they burned hundreds of women at the stake in a field?" I asked. Elijah turned to me and nodded.

"Yes, how did you know that?" I knew it from random stuff from Stefan and Bonnie but I wasn't going to pull that out at dinner.

"I do my research," I responded.

"Well, I wouldn't repeat this to the historical society," said Jenna.

"It's starting to sound a little like a ghost story to me," said John. I gripped my napkin under the table. I wanted to forget he was here.

"So why do you wanna know the location of these alleged massacres?" asked Damon.

"You know, healthy historian's curiosity, of course," said Elijah.

"Of course," responded Damon.

Dinner ended after a while and I found that I'd actually had a nice time. "The gentlemen should take their drinks in the study," said Andie.

"I have to say the food was almost as wonderful as the company," said Elijah. We exchanged a look and I gave him a weak smile.

"I like you," said Andie and Elijah laughed.

"You're not a gentleman. Make yourself useful," said Jenna, handing over a stack of plates to John.

I helped Jenna with dessert so I grabbed Andie and told her we'd forgotten about it. She ran off to the back room and I set the table again, which I hated doing. Eventually everyone found their way back and I went ahead and sat back down. Jenna had dessert under control.

"It's taking longer than I thought," said Jenna. "I usually just unwrap food." She ran back into the kitchen and Elijah took his seat beside me again even when there was plenty of room elsewhere. Alaric wasn't back yet and I had no clue where John was.

"So I know this is a social thing," said Andie, taking a seat in front of Elijah, "but I would really love to ask you some questions about the work you're doing."

"I'd love to answer," said Elijah.

"Great. Oh, that's so great." Damon came and sat down at the head of the table and John took the other head. "Ric, would you do me a favor and grab the notebook out of my bag?" Ric nodded and went over to it.

"Elijah, did John tell you that he's Elena and Vivian's uncle/father?" asked Damon.

"Damon," I scolded.

"What?"

"I'm well aware of it," said Elijah.

"Of course, Elena hates him. Sometimes Vivian might too although she's so mild mannered you'd never know."

"Damon, seriously, stop it," I said.

"All I'm saying is there's absolutely no need to keep him on the endangered species list."

"Ric, it's in the front pocket!" said Andie. "You know what? Excuse me, guys." She got up and I assumed went over to her bag.

"What I'd like to know, Elijah, is how you intend on killing Klaus," said John. I openly put my head in my hands.

"Gentlemen, there's a few things we should probably get clear right now," said Elijah. "I allow you to live solely to keep an eye on Elena." He was clearly talking to Damon. I clenched my fists. "I allow Elena to remain in her house, living her life with her friends as she does as a courtesy. If you become a liability, I'll take her away from you. You'll never see her again."

"No, don't do that, please," I said. "Damon will stop pestering you. Just do not do that." Elijah turned to me then.

"Okay, my first question is," began Andie as she reached the table again, "when you got here to Mystic Falls-"

Elijah screamed beside me and I gasped, making a noise of terror and shot up out of my seat. Ric had stabbed Elijah with the dagger through the back of the chair. "Oh, my God," I said.

"Now get rid of him before Jenna comes back with dessert," said Ric, placing the dagger on the table.

"What the hell is this?" I demanded as Damon and Alaric grabbed Elijah's body and walked out of the room. I followed quick on their heels. "You promised me you wouldn't do this, Damon!"

"I don't believe I did anything of the sort," he replied, straining to throw Elijah's body into their room of vervaine.

"Yes, you did. You knew Jenna was gonna be here. How could you do this? And why did he involve you?" I turned to Ric now, hoping my anger was making me appear taller to him.

"Stefan called me because up at the lake house, they've stumbled onto more of John Gilbert's journals," said Alaric. "He chronicled the dagger that can take down an Original. If another vampire uses it, it kills them too."

"Oh, my God, John was trying to get you killed!" I said to Damon. He only shrugged. He was used to it.

"It's not the only thing Daddy Dearest has been up to," said Damon.

"He told Jenna I haven't been honest about Isobel," said Ric. "Now she doesn't trust me." I followed them back up the stairs and noticed that John had already left. Good riddance. I know most people hated him but Damon had quickly become one of my best friends. John would never be able to accept that.

"He had no right to do that," I said. "And what could he possibly hope to gain by telling her about Isobel? We can't let Jenna know anything."

"Well, if Damon keeps doing stuff like this, she'll know everything soon enough," said Ric.

"I seriously cannot believe you, Damon. What if he could really have helped us against Klaus? You're such an idiot sometimes."

"Look in the mirror, Viv. You trusted the guy when he had _kidnapped _you. You had Stockholm Syndrome, get over it."

"Oh, please, like you're a saint?"

"You try to see the best in everyone, Vivian, and one day, that's gonna get you killed. Some of us don't have any good left."

"But you do, Damon, and I'm sorry but I think there was something good about Elijah too."

I heard Damon's phone ring and he rolled his eyes before answering. "What is it?" His eyes grew wider and he looked over at the dagger sitting on a table in the study. He dropped the phone quickly and ran back downstairs. Ric and I had barely exchanged a look before he'd come back. "Elijah's gone. I have to go to the lake house."

"What?" I said.

"The dagger needed to stay in." I gulped. This was going to be bad. We'd gone back on our side of the deal and that made it dangerous for everyone. "Ric, take Vivian back to her house and both of you stay there. I'm going to the lake house." Damon grabbed the dagger and we all made to leave.


	6. Chapter 6

I sat on my bed, finishing typing a paper on my laptop a few days later. Elena had tricked Elijah and daggered him herself. Katherine had been let out of the tomb as a result. I had done my best to stay completely out of it. It had been hard because the one time I'd been at the Salvatore house since the dinner party Katherine had targeted me by claiming she had information we all needed.

"You can trust me," she had said, convincing none of the four of us. "If you couldn't, I would be long gone by now. I want Klaus dead." The only convincing part of her entire argument was that she wanted Klaus dead. She'd been running for 500 years, much like Trevor and Rose had been, and was done with it.

"I don't think so. I want you gone," said Stefan. He had crossed his arms in his typical way and proceeded to furrow his brow, looking perpetually worried.

"Either spill the info or get gone," said Damon. Katherine had rolled her big brown eyes, being sultrier than Elena ever was.

"Do you know what Klaus looks like? I doubt it. Do you even know what Elijah's plan was for killing him?" she had demanded. I'd flinched at the mention of Elijah's name. "You've used your only weapon to kill Elijah." Yeah, that was stupid on our part.

"Are you saying _you _know what he was planning?" asked Stefan.

"Those witches," I said. "He had those witches working for him for a reason. They had agreed because Klaus has their daughter but Bonnie said something about harvesting power and Elijah spent most of his time looking for the site the Salem witches were burned on." Damon looked at me like I was a true genius. The end of Katherine's mouth turned up in a smile.

"I see that you're the smart one," she had said.

"So what do we need you for?" said Damon. She turned her sneaky gaze on him but immediately, her eyes fell back on me.

"The doppelganger has a twin, hmm? Completely unheard of but of course, I never had one. You may be thinking that you're safe." She had sauntered toward me and I flinched. "But your blood will prove to be as important as Elena's."

"What do you mean?" Elena had exclaimed. Katherine had only shrugged.

"You'll see soon enough." She'd smirked at me once again and I'd left.

I shook my head and tried to keep typing. The past few days had resulted in more confusion. Luca and his father were dead after causing a huge scene at the Grille and temporarily taking Bonnie's powers. Damon had figured out the spot where the witches had been burned and Bonnie had been harvesting their power. She and Jeremy had come out to me and Elena at separate times, breaching the topic of them dating. As far as I knew, neither of us cared. We just wanted them to be happy. But the happiness and triumph ended there. Isobel had rushed back into town, causing strife between me, Elena, Ric, and Jenna. But she had ended up dead and supposedly, given Katherine over to Klaus.

I groaned and reread the last page of my essay. It was terrible and I knew it. No one had really been giving the time to school that was needed. I saved it and pushed the laptop away from me. Before getting dressed, I laid back and twisted Jeremy's ring around my finger.

Stefan and Damon didn't even want us to go to school today. The threat was too tangible now. It was a huge possibility that Klaus was actually already in Mystic Falls. Isobel had apparently been in touch with his witches. But since she hadn't spoken to me, only Elena, I could only guess at what the circumstances were. Elena was sure she'd been compelled to kill herself. I shuddered to think of it. She was my birth mother and I truly felt a pang at knowing that she was truly gone. She'd never paid attention to me the way she had Elena but Elena was the doppelganger so I didn't take it personally. Isobel wasn't exactly an upstanding citizen so I wasn't going to grieve her or our half-tried relationship. I just regretted not getting answers when I could have. At the very least, I still had John.

I printed my paper and got dressed. The Salvatores had agreed to let Elena and I go to school if we promised to keep close to Bonnie. Besides, I was worried the school would eventually call Jenna and tell her how many days all of us had missed.

Jeremy and I rode together so that I was able to sink down into my desk at exactly 8:31am. Alaric was hot on my heels this morning so after I gave him a half-smile and a wave, I ducked into the room seconds before he did. Elena flashed a flier about the sixties decade dance tonight and I nodded. I was always down for the decade dance.

Alaric looked flustered for once, like he didn't really know what he was doing standing at the front of the classroom. I offered up a reassuring smile when I saw him glance at me. His mouth twisted in a grin totally uncharacteristic of Ric and then he turned his gaze on Elena. Something automatically clicked in my head that there wasn't a whole lot right with this morning. I blamed it on lack of sleep and guilt over knowing a decent man's body was lying in the cellar under the Salvatores' house.

"What were we doing this week?" Ric asked slowly. I twisted the ring on my finger again. That was becoming a habit.

"Since the decade dance is tonight we were studying the sixties," said a girl at the front of the room. Ric nodded slowly, pondering the subject. What was up with that? Weren't we just covering this yesterday? Wait, I'd skipped this period yesterday.

"The sixties. What was good about the sixties? Not a lot actually. Well, the Beatles," Ric said. "Uh, hippies, Watergate." I shook my head.

"Watergate was in the seventies," I said. Ric seemed to narrow his eyes at me before smiling again.

"My mistake. It all tends to blur together up here." I shrugged when he went back to lecturing. Stuff between him and Jenna wasn't all the great because he'd told her Isobel was dead and he didn't think it was his place to talk about the details with her. Yet, Isobel had shown up on our doorstep not two hours later. So maybe that was why Ric was having a hard time concentrating this morning.

When the bell rang, I forced myself out of my seat and contemplated what I could wear to the dance tonight. I could go buy dresses with Elena and Bonnie after school. I was jerked from my thoughts when Ric grabbed my arm. "Yeah?" I asked, confused. He looked different somehow. He let go of my arm fast as if he realized how weird that was.

"Damon and Stefan mentioned something about Klaus being in town this morning," he said. I nodded. I didn't understand what he was really asking.

"Apparently so. Isobel's dead now but Elena thinks she gave Katherine over to him," I said. "It sounded like Isobel was compelled. This guy is evidently pretty bad news if he scared her. I mean, she terrifies me so I bet Klaus is off the Richter scale of fear for me." Alaric grinned again and I didn't understand it.

"Do you think he'll show up for the dance tonight?" My eyes widened. I actually had never even considered that. Something always seemed to go down at the dances. Last year, I wasn't privy to what was going on but apparently some dude just stalked Elena and had threatened to kill me and Jeremy.

"Are you saying you think it's a bad idea to go?" He shook his head.

"I think it should be fine. We might even be able to target him there." After a few more minutes of odd conversation, I went to class and finished the school day. Alaric had been right to assume something would happen at the dance; Klaus had compelled a girl to tell Elena to save him the last dance. I shuddered again at the thought.

After buying a dress and getting ready for the dance, I talked things over with Damon. Alaric was chaperoning and Damon would play the part of my date so that he could get into the dance. If anyone noticed anything suspicious, we were to tell him and Bonnie right away. Bonnie was overly confident that her newfound power from the ground of the burned witches would kill Klaus. After learning the location and Damon reading more journals, we figured out that Elijah's plan and why he had the witches was that he supposed harnessing that kind of power would kill Klaus for good. Elijah was kind of brilliant, I had to admit.

"You don't think maybe we could placate Elijah and use the dagger?" asked Elena as we arrived in front of the school. She had made it abundantly clear that she felt bad about the way things had gone down with him. At least I wasn't the only one.

Damon rolled his eyes. "Of course not. That guy wakes up and I'm dead, Stefan's dead, Bonnie's dead, Jeremy's dead. Vivian, he liked so she may yet survive but he'll take you away from all of us and give you right over to Klaus."

"Sounds like he's going to try to take me tonight anyway."

"I think we need to have some faith in Bonnie," said Stefan. "She's confident about what she can do so we shouldn't just jump to the conclusion of awakening an Original who's mad at us and bound to only get angrier."

"But we barely gave him the time to explain anything to us," I said. "A couple more days and I likely would've stumbled onto the witches' property and he could've gotten Dr. Martin and Luca to do what he needed so that we wouldn't risk Bonnie and her powers. I'm sick of us having to ask her to do everything."

"Did you miss the part where Luca admitted that Elena was going to die in any scenario?" asked Damon.

"For all we know, he had a good way around that. It could've been as easy as a spell to make it appear like she'd died when she hadn't."

"Klaus has to drink all of her blood, Vivian. I don't think there's a way to trick him into believing that," said Stefan. Something clicked in my brain.

"What about me? What about what Katherine said about my blood being just as important?"

"No," said Elena. "You aren't the doppelganger so you aren't in the ritual and I'm not letting you take the fall even if you could." I shook my head.

"Then what did she mean?" Katherine's comment had run through my mind on a constant reel since the minute she'd said it. If there wasn't a part for me in the ritual, then what did my blood have to do with anything? What would happen when the sun and the moon curse was lifted? That couldn't truly be all there was to the sacrifice.

Damon was touching my arm the next instant. "Don't worry about it. In fact, don't worry about anything but the situation at hand right now." Damon turned to Elena and Stefan then. "We'll meet you inside." They nodded and walked on. Damon offered me his arm and I gladly took it to calm my nerves. "I know you're scared about all of this and that you're worried for Elena but I'll take care of you both tonight and for nights to come. What Katherine said about the blood was probably speculation on her part. She wanted us to think she knew more than we did but clearly, we've got the leg up. My best bet was that she was trying to scare you because she knew you were an easy target."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," I said back. I was just a jumpy person and after all, it hadn't been all that long since I'd been introduced to the world of vampires. I still regarded them warily. Strangely enough, the most dangerous one I'd come into contact with thus far was my best friend.

"Just keep on your toes. I get the feeling that this guy likes to play games."

After we were inside, I danced with Damon for a bit and then with Stefan. Jeremy was acting odd but it might've been about Bonnie's involvement in everything. He was constantly worried that she would tire herself out too quickly. She needed him to look out for her though so I was glad he worried.

It became clear that things were getting started when Klaus apparently dedicated a song to Elena. I stuck to her and Bonnie like glue after that. No one was supposed to be going off alone, even though there'd literally been nothing suspicious. I recognized everyone at the dance. But a few minutes later, after Elena and Bonnie had heart-to-hearted, Ric had grabbed my arm again and looked imploringly at the three of us.

"Klaus has Jeremy, come on!" he said, dropping his grip on my arm. The three of us took off after him and down a hallway in the school. Then I realized something wasn't quite right.

"Where is he?" I asked slowly.

"We're almost there," Alaric responded. The three of us stopped when I shook my head at Bonnie and Elena. Something was up here and I'd known it the entire day.

"Something's not right," said Elena. Alaric stopped too and turned around, smiling.

"I just had to get away from that dance," he said. I froze to the spot. "The sixties, ugh, not my decade. I mean, whose call was that, anyway? I much prefer the twenties. You know, the style, the parties, the jazz."

"Oh, my God," I breathed as I started backing away.

"Alaric, are you on vervaine?" asked Elena.

"Now why would you ask me that question, Elena?" he asked calmly.

"He's being compelled," said Elena, moving behind Bonnie. I shook my head.

"Nope, try again!" said Ric.

"What's going on?" asked Bonnie, throwing her arm out to keep Elena behind her. I was still slowly backing away.

"Okay, I'll give you a hint. I am not Alaric."

"Oh, my God, you're Klaus," I said. My legs almost gave out underneath me. He was in Alaric's body? How? Was Ric okay?

"Surprise! The squeamish twin figured it out! Bravo, Vivian!" I felt like puking when his gaze turned on me again.

"No, that's not possible," said Elena.

"Just relax, Elena. I'm not here to hurt you. You're not on my hit list tonight." He stared over at Bonnie and my heart stopped. He knew that if she used that much power, it would kill her. Klaus wanted to provoke her.

Bonnie threw out her arm and Alaric flew backwards. "Get out of here and find Damon!" she said. I took off when Elena reached my side and Damon told me to keep with Matt and Caroline until the dance was over. I did as I was told.

When the dance finished, Elena was in tears and Stefan seemed distraught beside her. Bonnie had died and Klaus/Alaric had disappeared. My heart fell and I felt tears welling in my eyes. Bonnie was one of my closest friends and her sacrifice hadn't even meant anything. But no one was in agony for long. Bonnie had cast a spell to make it appear like she had died so that Klaus would believe her threat was gone. Damon had been in on it and told no one.

"God, Damon, I can't believe you!" I said, wiping tears from my eyes. He only shrugged.

"It needed to be believable," he said. Elena had hit him originally and she moved to apologize to him. Stefan retired to his room after a while and the house was quiet. This was exactly what I wanted.

Generally, when I was at the Salvatore house, it was like people had no clue I was there. Damon and Stefan were equally enamored with my twin and my twin was now skyping Bonnie and Jeremy. Nothing was in the way of what I needed to do.

I was genuinely terrified of Klaus; there was no way around it. He obviously had abilities that I'd never heard of before and if it was in anyone's power to do something, I needed to try to help Ric. The only thing I could think of to offer up answers and help was to take the dagger out of Elijah and wait. He might be willing to strike a deal with me the way he had with Elena. And killing me wasn't top priority for him, that much was obvious. He'd kidnapped me but let me go without any sort of harm. Damon might see as Stockholm Syndrome but I actually liked Elijah. He was abnormally calm and he was classy. He'd kept his word to Elena, no matter how Damon wanted to argue it.

I snuck down the stairs quickly and slunk down into the cellar. After lifting the lever off the door, I pushed it open. My heart started pounding fast when I saw him. Damon had flamed him when Luca had sent some sort of witch power to undagger Elijah a few days ago. But weirdly enough, Elijah looked very much the same. The Originals' bodies must be near indestructible.

I crouched down on my knees slowly and leaned forward, grabbing the hilt of the dagger. I pulled it out with some difficulty and then I sat back and waited, clutching the dagger in case I needed to use it again.


	7. Chapter 7

It was probably the next day and I was simply leaning against the wall, trying not to fall asleep. That's when I heard something. I shuddered up against the wall and waited for some sign that I needed to do something. He gasped. "Elijah," I said lowly. I scrambled over to him on the ground and he groaned which had to be a result of him slowly coming back to life. I put my hand on his chest and he gasped again. "Elijah, it's me, Vivian."

The next thing I knew, my back was slammed against the wall again and it was my turn to groan. I dropped the dagger and grasped at the folds in Elijah's suit but he held me there until he made some noise. "I can't- I can't breathe," he said. Considering how close we were, I should've felt it so I believed him and I just continued to clutch at his suit. "What's happening to me?" he demanded. He bent forward and his head grazed my shoulder.

"I- I don't know," I said. I let go of his sides and he moved away like I'd been holding him there the entire time. When he moved back, he bent forward again, as if in some kind of pain and I grabbed him.

"I can't- I can't- I can't be in this house," he said between gasping breaths.

"Oh no, Elena owns the house now. You haven't been invited in," I said. I should've realized it sooner but I hadn't even been here when she'd signed those documents.

"Get me out of here." I let him go and Elijah left me down in the cellar in a matter of seconds. I grabbed the dagger off the floor and quickly ran upstairs, trying to be quiet. When I got into the main hallway, I saw him crouched on the other side of the doorway. Without thinking, I ran over the threshold and bent down beside him. When I touched him on the back, he flinched away.

"Are you okay?" I whispered. He made himself stand so I followed suit.

"What happened?" Elijah demanded, ignoring my other question. I shook my head and pointed at the house. I slowly shut the front door and gestured at Elijah to follow me to my car. He stood his ground until I handed the dagger over. My phone had started ringing and I shut down the volume. It was Elena. I didn't have time for this right now. They would all thank me later.

We sat beside each other in my car, each of us totally wary of the other. I reached into the glove department in front of him and he didn't so much as flinch. "Take your pick," I said, gesturing at the blood bags sitting in the glove department. "They're typically for Damon but you could use it so…" He slanted his eyes towards me then.

"Can I trust you?" I nodded, driving off.

"I wasn't in favor of them hurting you in the first place," I responded. "Can I trust you?"

"I give you my word." I smiled and drove down a ways until I was far enough away from the Salvatore house for a discussion. He downed two blood bags in the five minutes I drove.

"You look a lot better," I said. "I'm sorry about everything. I'm just- I'm so sorry. It wasn't my idea. I know that it looks bad but I promise you, I had nothing to do with this." Elijah mustered a smile so I took it that he accepted my apology.

"Where did you get the dagger?" he asked. I tried to keep my hands from shaking.

"Um, my birth father. John Gilbert gave it to Damon but he didn't exactly explain that it would take Damon's life to use it."

"Ah, yes, there is that loophole."

"I need your help, if you'd be willing to give it," I said. He slanted his eyes at me again and seemed to look me over, like he was trying to figure out if I was lying. "I might be able to help you too. I'm not too sure how I could but I could try."

"I'm much more willing to listen to you than Elena. Did she send you to do this?" I shook my head.

"None of them did. I just- I felt bad about what happened to you and I know you know something."

"How can I be sure you're telling me the truth?" Maybe this was actually a dead end. He didn't trust me and he had good reason not to. All he had was my word to go on that I hadn't been involved and that probably didn't mean much to him. My face fell and he just continued to look at me. It was clear he realized that I hadn't fully thought this out and he looked like he might even feel sorry for me. Then my phone started vibrating again. This time it was Damon. I looked to Elijah before I answered and he nodded at me.

"Hello?" I said.

"Vivian, where's Elijah? Next time you wanna be sneaky, try not to leave the cellar door open," Damon said. I forcefully closed my eyes. Of course there was something I had forgotten to do.

"He's right here. He's with me," I responded.

"Don't play innocence right now, Viv. Where are you? I'm coming. You've thrown Elena into one of her worrying fits."

"No, I can't. I need to talk to him, okay?" I turned to look out the window to try to give the conversation some privacy but I knew Elijah could hear us anyway.

"He can't be trusted! What did I tell you? Stockholm Syndrome! He'll use you to get to Klaus."

"No, Damon," I said, lowering my voice. "Elijah is noble and he gave me his word. He's honorable. I can trust him." My voice was practically a whisper now but I knew it didn't matter. "I'm not going to be stupid and betray him."

"You gave him the dagger, didn't you?" I didn't respond and he groaned. "I can't believe this! You can't do this by yourself."

"Just give me the day, please. Don't do anything like you normally would. I'll call you later okay?" Damon started to protest but I hung up the phone anyway. "I'm sorry," I said, turning back to Elijah. He half smiled and held out his hand. I gave him my phone. "Well, first off, Klaus is here." He seemed truly shocked at that revelation.

"He's here?" I nodded and I knew I was coming off nervous. But I was worried about Alaric.

"He's in Alaric's body and I don't know how."

"It's one of his favorite tricks," Elijah responded.

"Do you have idea what he might do next? I mean, what are his other tricks? You're the only one who knows him."

"Indeed, I do. I'll tell you but can I first get out of these wretched clothes?" I laughed a little and turned the car back on.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I should've realized how weird they were to have on. Damon killed one of your witch friends with some sort of fire hose because he was using a kind of teleportation magic? At least, that's what it seemed like. He was trying to take the dagger out of you before anyone noticed." I decided to leave out the fact that Damon had been blow-torching him all day prior as a new, fun hobby. Elijah made a noise at that. "Where do you suggest we go?"

"Carol Lockwood is off vervaine or she was." I nodded.

"I think she still is." The rest of the drive to the Lockwood mansion was in silence which I appreciated. When we arrived on their doorstep, I was ready for whatever Elijah had to tell me.

"Elijah? Vivian? What are you two doing here? What happened?" asked Carol as she gave Elijah the once over.

"I had a bit of an accident," he said. "I'm hoping you could help."

"Well, I'm on my way to a meeting so-"

"I won't take but a minute of your time." He stepped forward and I watched as he compelled her and she let us inside. "Well, first things first. I'm going to need a change of clothing."

"Well, we could try one of my husband's suits. I haven't boxed them up yet," she responded. Elijah gave her a charming smile as she wandered off. I twisted Jeremy's ring on my finger.

"Did you compel me?" I asked. "When I was at that house and in Richmond." Elijah looked over at me at then and I couldn't tell what he was thinking.

"Do you believe I did?" he asked.

"I don't know. I should've been more scared of you than I was," I said, my voice low.

"No, Vivian, I didn't compel you. But you were scared. You were scared of me the entire time. You were scared of me earlier in the cellar and I am sorry for that. I hope I didn't hurt you." I shook my head.

"No, you didn't and thank you for telling me." I glanced at Elijah now and the corner of his mouth turned up in a smile. My mind flashed to what Damon and Andie had said before the dinner party, that Elijah might have a thing for me. I thought of how completely insane that idea was again and I waited for Elijah to get dressed in a new suit.

I sat in the Lockwoods' living room after Carol left and then Elijah came and sat near me. "I take it that the Martin witches are no longer with us?" he asked. I shook my head solemnly. "And Katerina?" I loved the way he said her name. "She would have been released from my compulsion when I died."

"Klaus took her. Elena and Stefan and Damon think that she may be dead."

"And what do you think?"

"I think she's escaped before."

"Well, it wouldn't be Klaus' style. Death would be too easy for her after what she did."

"Well, if you want Klaus dead, I don't understand why you still made Katherine pay for betraying him." I had a lot of questions about Katherine, questions she hadn't exactly answered even in she and Elena's heart-to-heart.

"I have my own reasons for wanting Katerina to pay. There was a time where I would have done anything for Klaus." He launched into telling me a story about when Katherine was still human and Klaus was having a birthday party for himself or that's what it seemed. Then Elijah mentioned something that took me by surprise. "Klaus is my brother," he said. He didn't sound ashamed of it but he did sound regretful.

"Really? That's- That's-" I began.

"Yes, I'm a little behind on the times but I believe the term you're searching for is OMG." I cracked a smile at that even through this new realization.

"So there's an entire family of Originals?"

"My father was a wealthy landowner in a village in Eastern Europe. Our mother bore seven children."

"So your parents were human…"

"Our whole family was. Our origin as vampires is a very long story, Vivian, and I'm afraid you don't have the time for it. Just know, we're the oldest vampires in the world." I nodded, taking in all of the information he was willing to give. I wanted to know about the origin of them as vampires but I didn't want to pressure Elijah. "We are the Original Family and from us, all vampires are created."

"I have a question." He nodded and I continued. "Klaus is your brother and you want him dead? I don't know what Elena or Jeremy could do to make me feel that way." He smiled grimly.

"Would you mind going outside? I think I could use some air." I grabbed my jacket and nodded, following him out onto the grounds. "As you've seen, nothing can kill an Original. Not sun, not fire, not even a werewolf bite. Only the wood from one tree can do it. A tree my family made sure burned."

"So that's where the white ash for the daggers comes from."

"Yes. The witches won't allow anything truly immortal to walk the Earth. Every creature needs to have a weakness in order to maintain balance." I found myself trying hard to keep up with him.

"Okay, then I have another question. If the sun doesn't matter to you and the other Originals, why is Klaus so concerned with breaking the sun and the moon curse?"

"Right. The curse of the sun and the moon." Again he had a bit of humor to his voice that I liked. "It's all so biblical sounding, don't you think?"

"I'm afraid I don't understand…" Was he insinuating what I thought he was?

"It's not real. It's sort of something Klaus enjoyed making up." He was saying exactly what I thought he was.

"So he drew the Aztec drawings of the curse that we've been looking at?" I asked.

"Roman scrolls, African tribal etchings, and any other culture or continent we felt like planting it in."

"But I still don't understand why either of you made it up in the first place?"

"The easiest way to discover the existence of a doppelganger or to get your hands on some long-lost moonstone is to have every single member of two warring species on the lookout for it." My breath caught in my throat. If there wasn't a curse of the sun and the moon, then why did they need the doppelganger?

"So it's got nothing to do with the Aztecs or the Romans or the Africans at all? Is it all about Klaus?" He nodded.

"You're figuring it out." Elijah started walking again and I started after him. This still wasn't making much sense. "Klaus and I faked the sun and the moon curse dating back over a thousand years."

"If there's no curse, why does he still need Elena?" He turned to me then and gave me a look I couldn't quite decipher, like maybe he understood my need to protect Elena… or he knew a lot of things that I didn't.

"There is a curse. Just not that one. The real one is much worse and it's a curse placed solely on Klaus."

"What kind of curse?" I asked. I heard my cellphone buzzing in his jacket pocket and I knew it had to have been going off the majority of the time I was here.

"Klaus has been trying to break it the last thousand years and Elena is his only hope." I started to say something but Elijah pulled my phone out of his jacket and handed it to me. "It won't stop ringing," he said, sounding annoyed. "Answer it, please." I nodded.

"Damon-" I asked without even looking to see who was calling. I assumed it was Damon. Instead it was Elena and she started talking at about a mile a minute. "Slow down. What's wrong?" Elijah furrowed his brow and looked off on the grounds of Lockwood mansion, like he was trying to give me privacy.

"It's Jenna," she responded. "Jenna knows everything. Klaus came over to the house, still as Alaric, and started telling her all this stuff about vampires. Then he threatened her life. We're lucky Stefan was there. He made sure she got out."

"Oh God," I said.

"I think we need to sit down with her. She's not taking it well and she's been demanding to know where you are. Where the hell are you, Vivian?" I knew Elena was mad at me for just going off but she'd thank me later. The only problem was Jenna. She'd be mad we'd known the entire time and never told her about it. It hadn't been fair to never explain anything. But it didn't change my circumstances with Elijah.

"I don't think I can come right now." Elijah turned back toward me at that comment, leaving to rest all thought that he couldn't hear what was going on.

"Don't be like this right now, Vivian! Jenna needs us." I turned away from Elijah then.

"I can't," I said. "I made a deal and I can't retract it."

"Yes, you can! Tell him you'll be back. Jenna is the only family we and Jeremy have got left."

"Okay," I said. "You're right. I'll be there." I heard her breathe a sigh of relief and I hung up the phone. When I turned back to Elijah, he was only staring at me. "I, uh- Klaus went after Jenna and she knows everything now. Elena says we need to see her. I tried to tell her I couldn't but-" He shook his head to stop me.

"She's your family. I understand."

"Will you stay here and I can come back?" I said desperately. He nodded again. "Thank you. I promise you, I'll be back."

I drove to the Salvatore house almost maniacally. According to Elena, Jenna wasn't holding up well with this new information. I wondered whether Stefan had tried explaining the situation with Klaus and Alaric yet.

I ran inside to find Jenna sitting with Elena on one of the couches in the study. Jenna was crying. I wondered why Jeremy wasn't here for this family meeting. Maybe it had all been a ploy to get me away from Elijah.

"Jenna, are you okay?" I said, sitting to take her other side. She shook her head.

"No," she responded.

"I'm sorry," I said.

"I never meant for any of this to happen," said Elena but Jenna had scooted away from her anyway.

"When I was little, your mom used to tell me bedtime stories," Jenna said, looking between us. "Stories about vampires. I never thought that what she said could be true."

"It is true, Jenna," said Elena. "I tried to keep it from you both. I thought that if you didn't know, you'd be safe. But things got so out of control and everything I'd done to keep you out of it blew up in my face."

"We should've told you," I told her.

"You knew about this too?" Jenna asked me.

"Only for a few months," I said.

"Who else knows besides the two of you?" She looked between the two of us and I glanced at Elena. I wasn't going to say anything. "Jeremy?" Elena nodded. "John?" I nodded.

"We were just trying to protect you," I said.

"Protect me?" Jenna sounded hurt then.

"I'm so sorry," said Elena. "I will tell you everything."

"No, Elena, Vivian, I am the one who is supposed to be protecting you both and Jeremy."

"I know," I said, "but there's literally nothing that you could have done. There's so much more to it than you think."

"No, this is like- this is so- I don't know how I-"

"I know," said Elena. "Believe me, I know."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Elena only shook her head. "I'm scared."

Again Elena responded with, "I know." I reached out for Jenna and she came into my arms and I hugged her until she stopped crying. When Elena nodded at me, I made some false excuse and scooted out of the house as quickly as I'd entered it. Luckily, no one spotted me leaving.

Jenna was having to deal with a lot right now and I should've been there earlier. We all should've told her earlier and maybe this situation wouldn't be as bad as we were making it out to be. My hands gripped the steering wheel and I drove off. Elena could help Jenna better than I could anyway. Most of the things that had happened supernaturally had happened because Elena happened to be the doppelganger.

I showed up on the Lockwoods' doorstep again and let myself in. Carol still hadn't come back from her meeting so Elijah and I had the place to ourselves. "Hey, it's Vivian," I said. I walked into the living room again and there he was. He was actually smiling.

"Welcome back," he said. "How was it?" I shrugged.

"She's not taking it as well as I did but I think she'll come around. Elena's explaining everything to her now." He nodded again. "So what's the curse on Klaus?" I sat down on the couch closest to the room's fireplace and waited.

"My family was quite close but Klaus and my father did not get on too well," he said as he sat down beside me. I felt nervous when I realized how close he was sitting. "When we became vampires, we discovered the truth. Klaus was not my father's son." I gasped a little. I was becoming incredibly invested in this story. "My mother had been unfaithful many years before. This was her darkest secret." He paused a moment to see if I'd catch on to something. "Klaus was from a different bloodline. Of course, when my father discovered this, he hunted down and he killed my mother's lover and his entire family. Not realizing, of course, that he was igniting a war between species that rages until this day."

"Are you saying that he was a werewolf?" I asked slowly. "Is he somehow both? A werewolf and a vampire?"

"Yes," he said. "A hybrid would be deadlier than any werewolf or vampire. Nature would not stand for such an imbalance of power. Therefore the witches, the servants of nature, saw to it that my brother's werewolf side would become dormant."

"Oh wow. So that's the curse that Klaus wants to break. He wants to become a full hybrid."

"He wants to trigger that part of him that's werewolf. If allowed, Klaus would sire his own bloodline. He'd build his own race, endangering not just vampires but everyone."

"But you still helped him?" I asked.

"I helped him because I loved him. That's changed now. He must die." Elijah looked away for a second but turned back just as quickly.

"So can we use your dagger on him?" He shook his head.

"When a werewolf is wounded by silver, it heals. An Original can't be killed by anything but white oak ash on a silver dagger. So you see the conundrum? The dagger doesn't work."

"What do you mean? Klaus can't be killed?"

"There's one way to kill any supernatural species. At the hands of the servants of nature themselves."

"A witch. That's why you had the Martin witches. But that only works if they can channel that much power and that would kill them." Of course.

"The curse must be broken during the full moon when Klaus is in transition. That's when he'll be at his most vulnerable. A witch with enough power _can _kill Klaus." I didn't want to say it but I knew I had to. Bonnie was going to be brought into this no matter what.

"I know a witch that can channel that much power."

"Then there's one more thing that you should know." He started telling me again about when Katherine was human and before she ran away. I hung on every word because I had known from the beginning of him telling me anything that he'd cared for Katherine. He said he might have found a way for her to not be killed during the sacrifice.

"You can save my sister?" I asked. I felt a lump growing in my throat and I stood up from the couch and turned away.

"I did find a way to spare the doppelganger," he said. "Unfortunately, Katerina took matters into her own hands first. I believe you already know how that played out."

"Yes," I responded. "You cared about Katherine, didn't you?" I turned back and saw that he was standing now too.

"It's a common mistake, I'm told," he said. I could tell he wanted the subject changed so I moved on.

"Speaking of her, she told me something before Klaus took her. It's about my blood. She said it would prove to be as important of Elena's." Elijah grimly smiled before walking over to me.

"I did some research into you when I realized that the doppelganger had a twin. I'm sure you hear constantly how odd that is." I nodded fast. He knew something, he really knew something. "Witches were involved with your birth. Seems as though everyone understood the doppelganger was coming. In fact, even my father looked for her as a child." I started to ask a question about that but he went on. "Your blood… It's exactly the same as your twin's. It's as if you were identical." I sank back down onto the couch in shock. I didn't need to ask him how he knew that because it was obvious that's what Katherine had meant.

"Could I take her place in the sacrifice?" I asked. He shook his head.

"You aren't the doppelganger, therefore it wouldn't work."

"Then why do this to me at all?" I questioned. "Why would they make our blood the same unless they wanted me to protect her?"

"It's not that simple and it is in fact all I know. But you are human so I would suggest keeping that ring on." I glanced down at Jeremy's ring. How did he know what it could do?

We left soon after that so that we could explain to Elena, Damon, and Stefan the good news. Elena might be spared yet.

When we entered the house, after I practically begged Elena to invite Elijah in, I heard noise and I almost rolled my eyes. Elena was reprimanding Stefan and Damon from down the hall so they must've been fighting over something. When Elijah and I entered the study after her, he walked in front of me and when a vase smashed against the wall beside us, I realized why. I flinched when glass splattered on the floor around my feet.

The fighting stopped as the two of them turned and stared at us. "What the hell is this?" asked Damon. "You invited him in?"

"Vivian said we can trust him," said Elena. Damon looked at me and gave me the ultimate eye-roll. "Elijah and I will renew our deal."

"The two of you will come to no harm at my hands," said Elijah. "I only ask for one thing in return."

"What?" demanded Damon.

"An apology." I pleaded with my eyes at Stefan and Damon, clasping my hands together and giving them several looks.

"A what?"

"I'm sorry for the part that I played in your death," said Stefan. He was trying to be the better person and I appreciated it. "I was protecting Elena. I will always protect Elena."

"I understand," Elijah responded. Damon stood his ground and looked dismally at all of us.

"The sacrifice is going to happen, Damon," said Elena.

"Bonnie will be able to kill Klaus without hurting herself and Elijah knows how to save Elena's life," I said.

"Is that true?" asked Damon.

"It is," said Elijah.

"And you're trusting him?" He was directing this at Elena.

"I am," she said. My work here was done.

"You can all go to hell," said Damon. I practically threw up my arms and walked out of the room. Damon did that for me.

"He's angry with me right now but he'll come around," said Stefan.

"Perhaps," said Elijah. He turned back to look at me and I only nodded. Eventually, Damon would have to come around.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey! I'm sorry for the incredibly short chapter but my Internet is having problems again and I'm trying to update when I can. As usual, I own nothing but Vivian.**

I pushed at Damon, who was pretending to be asleep in his bed. He groaned and opened those abnormally blue eyes as if to say, he wished I would jump off a cliff. "Stefan and Elena want you downstairs because Elijah is there and we're coming up with a tentative plan," I said. Damon had been petulant since Elena had even invited Elijah into their house and he was pissed with me more because he somehow knew it was all my fault.

"I can hear them but thanks for the National Geographic play-by-play," he sassed. It wasn't even his best joke. I had tried to plead my case with him last night and it still hadn't changed Damon's attitude to the situation.

"All I'm asking is that you be a good sport for Elena's peace of mind."

"Why should I?" he demanded after rolling out of bed. "If she doesn't believe the guy, why should any of the rest of us? She's the one who's actually in danger here." I knew that. In fact, every single thought I'd had over the past few days had been worrying about Elena and the sacrifice and whatever Elijah had that could spare her.

"Tonight's the full moon," I said. "Do we have any other option besides trusting Elijah? We don't have any sort of time."

"We have Bonnie," Damon said, pushing me out of his bedroom. I shook my head as we went downstairs.

"You know she'll be killed and I won't stand for that, Damon. Neither will Elena." I heard Stefan, Elena, and Elijah talking in the study before we entered it.

"If Klaus breaks the curse, he'll be a true hybrid," said Elijah.

"Then why are we letting him break it?" asked Damon, one step ahead of me, entering the room. "We can kill him today, with Bonnie." I shook my head again.

"No," said Elena. "Bonnie can't use that much power without dying." I exchanged a look with Elijah and I smiled at him. I was going to make sure he was kept in good spirits because without him, we literally had nothing.

"I'll write her a great eulogy!"

"It's not an option, Damon," I said.

"Well, how do we go about breaking the curse?" asked Stefan, directing our attention back at Elijah.

"The ritual itself is fairly straightforward," said Elijah. "The ingredients, so to speak, you already know. The moonstone; a witch will channel the power of the full moon to release the spell that's bound within the stone. After that, Klaus, being both werewolf and vampire, will sacrifice one of each."

"Where do I fit into it?" asked Elena.

"The final part of the ritual. Klaus must drink the blood of the doppelganger to the point of your death." That was something we knew but hearing it seemed to make the day sink in for everyone. Stefan grabbed Elena's hand in comfort.

"But that's where you come in, right?" I said to Elijah. He nodded at me, opening an old box and pulling out a vial.

"This is an elixir that I acquired some 500 years ago for Katerina. It possesses mystical properties of resuscitation."

"So I'll be dead?" asked Elena.

"And then you won't."

"That's your plan?" asked Damon. "A magical witch potion with no expiration date? You wanna come back to life, why don't you borrow Vivian's ring?" I twisted it on my finger protectively. It wouldn't work on Elena.

"Those rings only work on humans," said Elijah. "A doppelganger is a supernatural occurrence. Odds are the ring won't work."

"I'd take those odds over your elixir. What if it doesn't work, Elena?" Damon was desperately looking at her but I knew Elena didn't have some magical answer that would make him feel better.

"Then I guess I'll just be dead," she said. I shook my head. It was true but it was the last thing any of us wanted to hear, least of all, Damon. But there was nothing else to say and Damon strode off, angry. I wasn't going to go try and calm him down right now.

"Well, does Klaus have everything he needs for the ritual?" I asked. "A werewolf, a vampire?"

"Klaus has been waiting to break this curse for over 1000 years. If he doesn't already have them, my guess is by tonight, he will," said Elijah.

"I'm gonna go talk to Damon," said Stefan. "I'll get you off the hook for a while, Vivian." I mustered up a smile. I liked Stefan and I knew how much he cared for Damon and Elena.

When we heard the front door shut, Elena took to pacing around. "You'd think he'd understand why I'm will to do this," she said.

"Why are you?" I asked. In all of this, I hadn't once stood in her way but that didn't mean I was fully behind it either. Elena was stubborn though. No amount of opposition would turn her away from doing something. I didn't need my twins' intuition to tell me that.

"It's my fault that Klaus is even here," Elena said. "If I don't stop him, then he's gonna hurt people. It's that simple."

"You know there's a possibility this elixir won't work," said Elijah. Elena had been eyeing it the entire time. "I don't want to mislead you or your sister." He glanced over at me quickly before turning back to Elena.

"I know the chance I'm taking." I walked over to the two of them but before any of us had a chance to say anything else, the door slammed.

"Get out!" exclaimed Jenna. The three of us exchanged a look.

"Jenna, it's me." Alaric's voice wafted down the hall and I knew it was really him. I took off. "Jenna, put the crossbow down, okay?" Sure enough, my aunt was there holding one of Ric's crossbows. Elijah and Elena arrived behind me.

"What's going on?" I asked. Stefan and Damon appeared then.

"It's me, Vivian. I swear, okay? He let me go. Klaus let me go."

"Prove it," said Jenna.

"Okay, uh, the first night you and I spent together, Jeremy walked in-"

"It's him." Jenna finally lowered the crossbow and I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Why did he let you go?" I asked.

"He wanted me to deliver a message. The sacrifice happens tonight." I turned and looked back at Elijah. He was standing farther back than everyone else.

A few minutes later we were in the Salvatores' living room, minus Damon, and Stefan was asking Alaric, "So you don't remember anything that happened?"

"No," Ric responded. "It's like I blacked out and woke up three days later. Katherine was there."

"She's under compulsion. Damon snuck her some vervaine but she can't leave until Klaus tells her she can."

"Wait, where is Damon?" asked Elena.

"He probably went upstairs to brood," I said. She got up and didn't even remark on my sassy comment.

"Well, what else did I do?" asked Alaric. Stefan launched into telling the story for Jenna. I just stood back by Elijah and pretended to pay attention.

That's when we all heard something. Stefan vampire-speeded upstairs. Then the beginnings of probably another brother fight were heard. I took off again, Alaric and Jenna close on my heels. "What the hell is going on?" demanded Ric.

"Oh my God, Damon, you didn't," I said when I saw Elena wipe blood from her mouth. She'd come back a vampire, which Elena would never have wanted and this probably completely ruled out the elixir Elijah had.

"You'll be next, Vivian," Damon muttered. I took a step back and I almost fell over Ric. I didn't want to be one either.

Damon had left the house and once Elena and Stefan had settled down, we all agreed to proceed with the plan we already had. Stefan and Elena were going to have a day out, supposedly to appreciate Elena's last day as a human (oddly enough, I was no longer mad about her becoming a vampire. I was just happy she'd be alive). Bonnie and Jeremy were working with magic so that she could come in and weaken Klaus so that Elijah could strike. Alaric would go help them later in the day, possibly with John. Jenna and I were just to stay in the house until it was over, securing our safety. Elijah said he'd stay with us leading up to nightfall.

I was sitting in the living room of my house, staring at the ceiling while Jenna was trying to clean the kitchen to keep herself busy. This new information had been hard on her and I knew she was trying to adjust to what had happened with Alaric. My phone buzzed with a text and jerked me out of sulking. It was from Damon.

_Damon Salvatore: I'm gonna buy us some time. Make sure Elena doesn't hand herself over and don't tell the Original._

I glanced up from my phone and saw Elijah just walking around the hallway. All I texted back was that Elena was still with Stefan and that Damon should be careful.

Hours passed and the three of us had ended up having menial conversation while waiting to hear something from anyone. After a while, Jenna went back to cleaning the kitchen and Elijah and I kept on talking to each other. When the house phone rang, neither of us noticed that Jenna had answered it. Stefan called Elijah and he politely answered it, getting up and talking fast. They were evidently prepared for what was to come. I wondered if Damon had succeeded in doing what he wanted. Considering I'd never heard back from him, I didn't know.

I got up when I heard Jenna hang up the phone and start down the hall. "Who was that?" I asked, leaving Elijah in the living room. She turned to me before opening the front door and I froze.

"Jeremy's hurt," was all she said before she walked outside.

"Jenna, no!" I yelled and I ran outside after her. I heard it before anything else, the loud cracking sound that meant a neck was breaking. I choked back a sob before I turned and saw a man.

"Hello, sweetheart," I heard the man say, his thick English accent dripping with fake charm. I gasped out a scream when his hands met my throat and I heard the loud cracking again, knowing this time, it was my neck that was broken.


	9. Chapter 9

I choked awake, coughing and I sucked in a huge breath. What happened? A grip tightened on my arms and I realized that it was Jeremy, that I was resting my head in Jeremy's lap in some dreary room. What the heck was going on?

I looked over at my brother and I grabbed him and almost pulled him down onto the dirty floor with me. "Thank God, you're awake," he breathed.

"What happened?" I asked. I let loose of Jeremy and turned to see John, Damon, Alaric, and Elijah standing near us. It all flooded back. "Oh no. Oh no, Jenna! Did you get Jenna?" Damon solemnly shook his head at me. Jeremy helped me to my feet and I kept ahold of his hand. He helped steady me. "Where are we?" I slowly asked. "How did I get here?"

"This is where Bonnie can draw the power of those witches," said Jeremy. I took another look around. The place was dilapidated but I had to admit that I felt safe.

"Elijah brought you," said Ric. My gaze landed on the Original in the room and he solidly looked back at me. I immediately conjured up an image in my mind of him carrying me inside the house and of him finding me dead on the porch. He might've lost his cool for once in his long life. But I knew he hadn't. He'd calmly found me, relayed the problem to Damon, who was the one who did the fretting, and carried my body here to be with my brother.

"Thank you for all you've done for me," I said then. I meant it more sincerely than he probably knew. Elijah had come to my rescue more often than he hadn't.

"You are very welcome, Vivian," Elijah responded. "I just wish I had reached you sooner."

"Well, Vivian, what happened to you?" asked Damon. He'd almost advanced on me when I'd looked at him earlier and I could tell he was worried.

"Jenna answered the house phone," I started slowly, "and Elijah was on the phone with you or Stefan, I think. Then I got up to ask her who it was and she started walking to the front of the house but I didn't think anything of it until she said that Jeremy was in trouble. She walked out the front door and I tried to stop her. But oh, my God, I think she's dead." My hand covered my mouth and Jeremy wrapped his arm around my waist. I played what happened over and over in my mind. I'd heard someone break her neck… and then, they broke mine. "They broke her neck. It was a guy."

"It was Klaus," said Elijah. I stared over at him then and he didn't seem pleased with what was going on. He actually seemed angry.

"But you're alright," said John. "You're lucky." I nodded and rubbed my hands over my face.

"Why did he kill Jenna?" I asked. I looked at Alaric then for some sort of confirmation. He looked upset but not as upset as I would've thought.

"Jenna's not exactly dead," said Damon. His abnormally light eyes filled with guilt when he was looking at me and I didn't understand. "I freed Caroline and Tyler so that Klaus wouldn't be ready for the ritual. He improvised." Jenna was going to be the vampire he killed.

"No," I said. "No, you can't be serious." I looked at Ric again and he looked openly torn up about it.

"He could've taken you," said Damon. "I say we count that as a success."

"He killed me anyway, Damon!" I responded.

"Well, Stefan is gonna offer himself instead of Jenna. Hopefully Klaus will want a vampire who's a bit more valuable." My jaw almost hit the floor. He wasn't being serious, was he? I didn't want Jenna to be sacrificed but that didn't mean that I wanted Stefan to take her place. Elena would never stand for it. But of course, she probably doesn't even know what's going on.

"He can't do that," I said. Damon gave me a solemn look.

"He's not asking for anyone's permission." I breathed out a sigh and Jeremy moved away from me. "You're alright so we have succeeded in something and John here is finally good for something. He knows of a spell to spare Elena."

"But it will kill him," said Ric. Damon had clearly wanted that information left out. I turned to John then, my biological father, and I simply stared.

"I don't know what to say," I said to him. He only shrugged.

"I've been a terrible father to you both," John began, "and maybe by doing this, it will somehow make up for the mistakes I've made."

"You don't need to die!"

"I'm at peace with it. It's the only way to ensure that when she comes back, she'll be human." I should've figured that that was his prime motivation, trying to make sure that neither of the twins ended up one of the undead. But now Elena and I will have lost both sets of parents. We would only have each other and Jeremy. My mind was set on Jenna's death and how completely unavoidable it was. It was our faults anyway. If we'd told her earlier about everything we knew, this all might've been avoided.

"Then thank you for making the sacrifice." I noticed Elijah diagonal from me and he had a strange look on his face. Either he didn't understand my response or it had surprised him.

"Well, I hate to break up this happy gathering but we've got a hybrid to kill and an aunt to save," said Damon.

Jeremy looked at me reassuringly for a moment and when I nodded at him, he walked off to get ready. Alaric quickly followed him and I took a minute to brace myself for what this would hold. I'd been killed, Elena will be killed, Jenna or Stefan will be killed, and hopefully, Klaus will be killed.

"You're going to stay here with John, Jeremy, and Alaric, okay?" Damon's voice shook me from my thoughts and I turned to him then.

"Yes. Do they know they're staying?" I responded. Damon half smiled at me. Of course they didn't know.

"They'll know when they can't get out the door. Bonnie's spelled it the way she did for Elena a few weeks ago." Right then, Bonnie rounded a corner and saw our group. She nodded at me but didn't smile. She was prepared to do what she needed to do.

"It's time, right?" she asked. Damon nodded in response. Immediately after, I grabbed her and hugged her. Bonnie slowly hugged me back, her small arms clutching my back anxiously, revealing to me that she was more worried than I had originally thought.

"Be careful," I whispered and then I let her go. She nodded and stood back from me.

Damon came forward now and even though I could tell he was putting up a good fight, he could hardly wait for me to be in his arms. He held me close much longer than Bonnie had and I felt myself shake against him. Damon pressed my hair down firmly and five seconds later he'd put three feet between us. "Be careful too… and save Stefan or Jenna or both," I said. He nodded knowingly but didn't respond.

Lastly I turned to Elijah and awkwardly, I walked forward. I heard Bonnie say something to Damon about the plan and he responded but I barely heard what they were saying. "I still don't understand why you're helping us but I'm incredibly glad that you are," I said. He sort of smiled in that way he had, like smiling was way too much effort.

"Klaus took my family from me," he said slowly. "Scattered them across the seas is what I've heard him say. I'll be glad to see that he doesn't take yours as well." I nodded at him then, my hands on my hips. I glanced sideways and I saw Damon make a face and nod at me. I snapped back to Elijah awkwardly.

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that but thank you. I hope that you find them. But nonetheless, I'm grateful for everything you've done for me and for Elena. Just um, thank you." I didn't think and I reached forward and hugged him. He clearly hadn't been expecting it and I knew my hair was touching the side of his face. It was strange and I felt weird touching him. Damon had egged me on for this and I felt like a fool, falling for another of his tricks. But right when I felt like a complete idiot, I felt Elijah's hand on the small of my back, grabbing hold of my shirt but letting it go just as quickly. I backed away and when I looked over at Damon, he gave me a small thumbs up.

The rest of the night passed in a blur. Bonnie, Elijah, and Damon left. Jeremy and Alaric screamed at them from the doorway for leaving them here with me and John. I sat with John for a while until he began feeling strange and I knew the spell was working on him. I felt a lot of fear for Elena, knowing it was our twins' bond. I tried to spend the night with him, knowing it would be the last time we ever talked. Alaric paced and Jeremy fretted. Soon night became morning and I heard people enter the house. Damon strode past me carrying Elena's body and the shock that went through me almost incapacitated me. She was dead, really and truly dead. There was no life in her body.

I saw John move toward the door and I followed him. He gave me a solid nod before walking outside and I felt something. John dropped to the ground and I gasped. But I knew that Elena was ultimately okay.

When I ran back into the room where Elena was, she was awake. I practically pushed Jeremy out of the way to hug her close. That's when I looked around the room. Damon was here, Bonnie was here, but Elijah wasn't. That's when Alaric and I finally realized something. Stefan was here too. That meant that Jenna had been killed. I looked between Elena and Jeremy before slowly succumbing to tears.

Damon explained everything to me over the next day. Elijah had been ready to tear Klaus' heart out when Klaus had mentioned that he could take Elijah to his family. Therefore, he let Klaus go with that vague promise to reunite them. Damon called Klaus a manipulative bastard and that was a rich comment from someone like Damon. Elijah had been tricked and we'd all paid for it. Although, had I been in the same situation, I can't say I wouldn't have reacted similarly.

Then at Jenna's funeral, as if I wasn't enough of a wreck, Damon revealed to me and Stefan that Tyler had bit him when he'd released him and Caroline. As far as we all knew, there was no cure. Stefan promised the both of us that he'd look but Damon was reserved to his fate. The only person who would possibly know anything about a cure was the hybrid Stefan and Damon had tried to kill only a day ago. Stefan would be taking a huge risk by approaching him. But he did it anyway.

I stayed with Damon while he went through the pain of the cure and Stefan went to Alaric's apartment to talk to Klaus. Damon escaped from me after a while and approached Elena in town, evidently hallucinating that she was Katherine. She luckily brought him back to the Salvatore house and the both of us stayed with him. I tried to give them some time alone since I knew how much he loved my sister and Elena was clearly distraught about it.

Some minutes after I had left them alone, Katherine breezed in the door and I took off after her. She was holding something and oh my gosh, what if it was what we'd wanted?

I arrived in Damon's bedroom right behind Katherine, completely breathless. I stopped beside her when I saw what was going on. Damon had broken out in a sweat hours ago when he'd begun hallucinating and he was laying on his bed, trying hard not to cough. Elena was visibly crying where I'd tried to conceal mine most of the day for both of their benefits. But what I was seeing absolutely blew my mind. Elena was kissing Damon.

"Well, you can thank me," Katherine said from beside me. She was holding a jar filled with thick red liquid and tossed it to Damon. "That's the cure."

"Were you released from compulsion?" I asked, openly relieved when Damon shot back the liquid in the jar and immediately started looking better.

"Yep," she responded. "The cure is Klaus' blood, by the way."

"Why did you come?" asked Damon.

"Oh, I figured I owed you one."

"Where is Stefan?" asked Elena finally.

"Are you sure you wanna know?"

"Yes," I said. "Yes, we do."

"He gave himself up to Klaus to save his brother. They're leaving town together. He's got Stefan back on human blood. I expect they'll be gone in an hour, once Klaus secures that coffin for Elijah." My heart almost stopped. Of course Elijah had been daggered. God. "But I guess I'll be checking out. Oh and Elena, it's okay to love them both. I did." Then she turned and sauntered out of the room with a last wink to me.

**Whoo! Season two is officially done! I'm really excited to start into season three and stuff with Klaus so hopefully I'll update really soon. And if you have a tumblr, mine is cougarontheprowl. I have a lot of Vampire Diaries stuff so I figured some of you may be interested.**


	10. Chapter 10

**This chapter is picking up in season three, around episode four or five, I think (or that's when the dialogue starts, at least). So the time gap that went between seasons two and three is still there. As usual, I own nothing but Vivian! I hope you enjoy it.**

Months had passed since we'd lost Jenna and to a certain extent, lost Stefan. Elena had been fixed on finding him for months. The only thing I'd been fixed on was Jeremy. He'd been killed by Sheriff Forbes by accident and Bonnie had convinced the witch spirits to bring him back. Ever since, he'd been acting strangely. I couldn't say that I hadn't expected it; Jeremy had been dead, after all, and he hadn't been wearing the ring we sometimes shared. Not that wearing it would've spared him in the first place. Sheriff Forbes wasn't supernatural.

Other than focusing on figuring out what was up with Jeremy, I just tried to forget about what had happened with Stefan and Elijah and Klaus. None of it was my fault, really, but I couldn't help thinking that I could've done something that would've stopped the ridiculous amount of things that are always on Stefan's plate. Apparently, Stefan on human blood was rough, to say the least. He'd been on it last year at the Miss Mystic pageant when a number of things went wrong. In fact, a girl had practically died all because he couldn't control himself.

Everything else about the sacrifice and the few weeks before it, in general, were like an incredibly long blur. Maybe I was intentionally trying to block out what were my last few weeks with Jenna and the only amount of time I'd spent with Elijah. Damon had said all those things to me, encouraged me to come to that dinner because Elijah had wanted me there, encouraged me to hug him before everyone went to stop the sacrifice, but now I wasn't even sure I hadn't made most of that stuff up in my head and Damon had gone along with it. I mean, why would a thousand year old Original vampire show interest in me at all? I was only Elena's twin sister and there was nothing more to it than that.

I didn't want to be a Debbie Downer but I felt it was my obligation to tell Elena that she might be wasting time. No one had heard from Stefan, there was no sign that Stefan or Klaus had been anywhere even close to here. Sure, Damon and Elena had found some newspaper clippings that _seemed _like something Stefan would be responsible for but there was no true way of knowing, not unless they went after him and I felt like I couldn't allow that at all.

Of course, it happened anyway. Elena got a blocked phone call the night of our joint birthday party and assumed it was Stefan. It very well could have been but to me, it didn't mean that Stefan wasn't truly gone or that Elena should go on a wild goose chase to find him. After all, Elena had come back to life after the sacrifice and the longer that was kept from Klaus, the better. Even Damon agreed with me there.

But nonetheless, the two of them struck out on their own, dragging Alaric into it. I held down the fort in Mystic Falls and was put to work helping Caroline think of senior pranks to set up the night before school started. I had really appreciated how normal Caroline had been through everything. She and Bonnie had really helped Elena, Jeremy, and I get back on our feet after everything. I even liked the birthday party Caroline had thrown for us. She made sure we both got plenty of gifts.

Elena, Damon, and Alaric arrived back in town after what was evidently a terrible turn of events. Stefan wasn't with them so that was my first clue. After a long conversation about everything, I figured out that Damon was telling me that Klaus was trying to make hybrids like him. I didn't really get it at first; why would he want anyone else to be like him? It took away his uniqueness as being basically indestructible with the powers of both warring species. In fact, Elijah had made me think that the uniqueness was what Klaus had really wanted (beyond being immortal). At any rate, the hybrids that he tried making all ended in brutal death. None of them lived through the transition; at least, that was what Damon heard secondhand from the first true interaction with Stefan any of us had had this entire time. There was no reason not to believe him.

Stefan had urged the group to leave when he understood that Elena was with them (stupid, like I told them). Elena being alive was the only thing that Damon and Stefan thought could possibly have an effect on whether the hybrids went through the transition successfully. I had a thought that maybe it had something to do with the spell cast on me before birth. Elijah had said that the spell bound me and Elena in a way that our blood was essentially the same. Maybe the thought was that if Elena was truly killed through the sacrifice, then my blood carrying on would ensure that no other hybrids were made. It was a half-baked idea at best but there had to be some reason we would have the same life force.

But whatever the reason, Elena reluctantly listened to all of us when we told her to give it some time. If Damon was behind the idea, that meant something to me and evidently, it meant something to her, no matter how much she wanted to say kissing him was because she thought he was dying.

Our friend group and a few other people got together the night before the first day of our senior year to start the year off with pranks. It had been Caroline's idea but for once, I was actually okay with the public vandalism and no doubt, shocking humiliation of our teachers this year. It was the first step to actually having a normal year. I told Elena that it was mandatory that she come because Damon was out of town. He never told me exactly why he was leaving but I did know he was with Katherine so something had to be up.

Nonetheless, we had all reported for duty at 8pm at the high school. Caroline was giving duties to everyone and I shrugged when she said that she and Tyler were teaming up. They'd gotten into some kind of relationship the night of Elena and I's 18th birthday party. It was just strange to everyone. But she went on to tell Bonnie and Matt to go off and toilet paper the pool so they left immediately. That left Elena and I to be together.

"Well, I thought I brought enough toilet paper and tacks for you two to do Alaric's room but I guess not," said Caroline, looking through her bag of supplies. I shrugged again.

"Well, Elena, meet me at his room and I'll go get some stuff from storage closets or something," I said.

"Vivian, you are a complete lifesaver!" Caroline handed me a bucket to fill with stuff.

"Do we really have to do this?" Elena moaned. Caroline made a face and I thought about making one too.

"Yes, Elena, we do," I said. "We're gonna have fun for the first time in months." I was ready to cause some trouble for once in my life and Elena wasn't going to ruin this. Maybe she'd end up thanking us for dragging her into it.

"Listen to your sister!" said Caroline before waltzing off with Tyler.

I nodded at Elena before the two of us split ways and she headed off to Alaric's room. I headed into the bathrooms and shoveled in rolls of toilet paper to get back to Caroline and Elena. I walked out a few minutes later, turning down a hallway to head into one of the storage closets and find some tacks. I'd warn Alaric about it before tomorrow. But if we were doing it to every room, it had to be done to his too.

When I rounded the corner, I found myself face-to-face with a guy I'd never seen before. I dropped the bucket I'd been holding in shock. Had we been caught before the pranks were even set up? "I'm sorry," I said breathlessly, bending to pick up my bucket at the same time he did. I stopped before grabbing it. There was something about this man that was eerily familiar. "Thank you," I said when he handed me the bucket. I noticed that his eyes never left the ring on my index finger.

He grinned at me a little sheepishly in response. He had an interesting mouth and I liked how feminine it was. "Senior prank night, am I right?" he asked. Wow, he was British too. Mystic Falls typically didn't have very many British visitors.

"Yes," I responded. "Are you here to stop us?"

"I actually thought I might join you." That's when it clicked. I felt my body go cold and start sweating at the same time. I'd heard his voice before. That's why he was so familiar. I'd heard his voice when his hands locked around my throat and twisted. I dropped my bucket again.

"Wow, I'm sorry," I said. "But uh, you can take that one and I'll just go get more supplies." I walked back the way I came slowly before taking off into a run when I saw I wasn't being followed. I thought I'd been in luck but I hadn't been. I screeched to a halt when the man was in front of me again, at the end of the hallway.

"This is quite familiar, isn't it, Vivian?" I didn't like to hear him say my name but he was fast approaching me and all I could manage to do was walk backwards. "You were the one who figured out that it was I in your friend's body." I keep stepping back until I turned and broke into a run again, trying to close the doors to the hallway. But it was too late. He was in front of me again and I almost ran into him. "I'm sorry I never properly introduced myself, sweetheart. I'm Klaus."

"I know who you are," I said back. He reached forward and wrapped his hand around my upper arm and pulled me closer to him before forcing me to walk with him. I felt my skin prickle with goosebumps.

"Quite a handy little thing you have there," he said, using his other hand to grab at my ring. I balled my hand into a fist to keep him from somehow pulling it off. "Elijah told me about it." I felt my heart pound almost audibly and I could tell he'd heard it. He smirked at me, actually smirked. I tried to jerk away from him but he only pulled me closer. "You think you're secure because of your family ring but all that means to me is that I can kill you a hundred different ways, love. Play your cards right." I cooperated from that point on. I needed to think anyway. Damon was out of town so he was no use to me, Stefan might be here but he'd be with Klaus, and all of my friends needed to be warned. "Now your sister is supposed to be dead. What are we going to do about that?"

"You did kill her during the ritual!" I said. "She just… came back."

"Well, the entire point of breaking the curse was so that I could make more hybrids and I'm betting that whatever it is that you managed to do to bring her back has got something to with it! She's supposed to be dead!"

"Don't kill her," I begged. "She's my sister!" Klaus gripped my arm harder and I winced when he stopped and pulled me in only inches away from his face. I pulled back while my heart was pounding but he kept me where I was.

"Oh, I won't kill her right off but I do have ways of making her suffer." He forced me forward again and when he opened the double doors to the gym, he swept me inside, carefully making sure that the doors didn't slam down onto me. The gym was full of people putting water filled cups all over the basketball court. Luckily, I didn't yet see Elena. "Attention seniors, you have officially been busted. Prank night is over. Head on home." Klaus had put on an American accent which was almost funny. But people groaned and started to walk away. At the very least, maybe innocent people wouldn't be hurt in all this. "You two!" A boy, who I knew to be Chad from my history class, and a girl turned as we got closer to them. I tried to pull away or at least, signal them. "I remember you."

"Who are you?" asked the girl. She was the one he had compelled the night of the decade dance.

"Oh, don't worry. I wasn't in my right head the last time we met. Put your foot up and stay there." When she did it, I realized Klaus had compelled her. Then he turned to Chad. "If she drops her foot, I want you to beat her to death." Chad nodded.

"No!" I screeched. "You don't have to hurt them! Use me." He made a face and tilted his head to the side.

"Quite the martyr, aren't you? I'm not much of a fan of martyrs so I think you can stay where you are. You'll come in handy though, sweetheart. Don't you worry about that." He finally let go of my arm and I thought about grabbing my phone. It would definitely be stupid. Klaus would be much too fast for me and there'd be no way for me to text or call anyone in that amount of time. We were screwed.

Minutes later, I noticed the girl faltering in keeping her foot off the ground and I felt my skin grow cold. I was scared but not even for myself. Klaus was right; he could kill me in hundreds of different, painful ways and that would be terrible… but if I had on the ring, I'd come back. Elena would be killed and wouldn't return, neither would Caroline, Tyler, Bonnie, or Matt, and it was clear that Klaus had some intention of harming one of us before the night was over.

That's when I heard the double doors to gym opening. "Vivian, I've been looking all over for you." It was Elena. Oh no. "Why are you-" She cut off when I turned to look at her. I felt Klaus' hand return to my arm and he pulled me closer again.

"Ah, there's my girl!" he said. "Nice of you to join us, Elena. Now before you decide to do anything rash, I hope you understand my leverage." He jerked me in front of him and I felt him move my thick brown hair to the side, showing off my neck. I was shaking. Elena ran towards me and the next thing I knew, I was behind Klaus instead of in front of him. "I'm glad you've decided to cooperate. Now you're supposed to be dead, hmm? I think we might need to fix that."

"Where is Stefan?" Elena demanded. "What did you do to him?"

"Stefan's on a bit of a time out," he responded. I heard the doors open again, this time revealing Bonnie and Matt. Elena called out to them but it didn't matter. "Oh, I was wondering when you'd show up," he said to Bonnie, quickly standing near her. Elena moved closer to me and engulfed in a hug before asking if I was alright. "Now we can really get started." He released the girl from her compulsion and I breathed easy for a minute. They weren't hurt, at least, not yet. "But I take it you're the reason Elena's still walking around, alive."

"That's right," said Bonnie. "If you wanna blame anyone, blame me."

"There's no need for blame, love. Just your witchy interference seems to have caused some undesirable side effects and since you caused the problem, I'm going to have you find the fix." The doors opened again, showing some blonde girl I didn't recognize pushing in Tyler. "I'd like you all to meet my sister, Rebekah. Word of warning, she can be quite mean." Tyler groaned from her twisting his arm behind his back.

"Don't be an ass," the girl responded. She was as beautiful as the other two of the Original family I'd seen. In fact, she might be the prettiest woman I'd ever seen. But she pushed Tyler over to Klaus in a matter of seconds and when he grabbed hold of him, I felt my breath catch in my throat. He wasn't going to use Tyler. There was no way.

"Don't touch him!" declared Elena. I looked around the gym fast. Caroline was nowhere to be seen. Where was she?

"I'm going to make this very simple," said Klaus, dragging Tyler in front of us. "Every time I attempt to make a werewolf into a vampire hybrid, they die during the transition. It's quite horrible, actually." I saw him bring his wrist to his mouth and I almost started forward but the sister, Rebekah, arrived in front of me before I could move. She smiled sweetly. Klaus forced his blood into Tyler's mouth and everyone gasped. "I need you to find a way to save my hybrids, Bonnie, and for Tyler's sake, you better hurry." In a matter of seconds, he'd removed his wrist and snapped Tyler's neck. I watched in horror as Tyler's body twisted with it and he crumpled to the floor. When I looked from Tyler to Klaus, I only saw him smile.

Matt ran forward and knelt beside him as Bonnie stood back in horror and Elena only looked shocked. "He's not dead," she rationalized. "Klaus' blood will turn him into a vampire."

"And if Bonnie's successful, he'll live through his transition," said Klaus. "Go on then. Go fetch your grimoires and your enchantments and whatnot. I'll hold onto Elena for safekeeping!"

"I won't-" Elena began.

"Yes, you will," he responded. "Don't forget that I can kill your pretty little sister here in horrible, terrible ways and she'll just bounce back. Won't you, sweetheart?" I'd felt him behind me while he was going on with his speech but in a moment's time, my head had been forced to the side and my neck exposed again. "In fact, why don't we just start right now?"

"No, I'll cooperate!" I was released just as quickly and I breathed a sigh of relief. Elena nodded at Bonnie so she and Matt ran out of the gym.

"So this is the newest doppelganger," said Rebekah, wandering around Elena like some sort of prowling cat. "The original one was much prettier." Ouch.

"Enough, Rebekah," groaned Klaus. "Take the wolf boy elsewhere, would you?" She nodded but before bending to take Tyler away, her gaze locked on me.

"Are you the girl that Elijah was so fond of?" she asked. I froze to the spot and didn't know how to respond. How did she know something like that? Was it true? I wanted to demand what she knew and where he was.

"She is but from what I can tell, she's too polite to say so," said Klaus. Rebekah gave me a once over, like she had to approve, before finally leaving with Tyler. Elena exchanged a look with me. "Just ignore her. She's a petty little thing. Now, Vivian, love, why don't you come sit with me?" I knew it wasn't a request so I cautiously followed Klaus over the bleachers and when I made to sit a row down from him, he turned on that charming smile of his and shook his head, while patting the seat beside him. I slowly moved and sat a few inches away from him. I watched Elena go over to Chad and the girl whose name I still couldn't remember, trying to calm them down. "Why was Elijah so fond of you, hmm?" Klaus' sickeningly sweet accent filled my ears and I felt him move closer to me.

"We were friends," I said lowly. Elena was watching me from afar and I saw her give me a nod of confidence. "Why do you think he was?" I turned to Klaus then and I saw the corner of his mouth pull up in a smirk.

The doors to the gym opened again and I turned and saw that it was Stefan. I gasped. I hadn't seen him since the night of Jenna's funeral. "Stefan," said Elena.

"Klaus." Stefan's voice sounded thick and he was only focused the Original sitting beside me.

"Come to save your damsel, mate?" asked Klaus.

"I came to ask for your forgiveness and pledge my loyalty." Klaus adjusted beside me and I could tell that Stefan wasn't kidding. If he was, he was really good at hiding it.

"Well, you've broken that pledge once already."

"Elena means nothing to me anymore. Whatever you ask of me, I will do." I glanced at Elena and she looked panic stricken. I moved to go to her but Klaus' hand had found my arm again and pulled me back down.

"Fair enough. Let's drink on it. Kill them." Klaus pointed at Chad and the girl as they got up to run. Stefan stayed where he was and my heart started pounding. "What are you waiting for? Kill them."

"Stefan, don't!" said Elena. "He's not gonna hurt me. He already said he wouldn't." Klaus thrust me to my feet and dragged me over to Elena just so that he could hit her across the room. I pushed against him and surprisingly, he actually let me go. I went to Elena as Stefan descended on Klaus.

"She means nothing to you?!" Klaus demanded, his hand at Stefan's throat. "Your lies just keep piling up."

"Let her and Vivian go!" said Stefan. "I'll do whatever you want. You have my word!"

"Your word doesn't mean much. I've heard your 'word' all summer during which time I never had to resort to this." Klaus bent his head forward and pulled Stefan closer. "Stop fighting."

"Please don't do this," begged Stefan. Oh, my God, he was being compelled.

"I don't want to. All I wanted was your allegiance. Now I'm going to have to take it." Elena and I stood frozen to the spot. This wasn't happening. "You will do exactly as I say when I say it. You will not run, you will not hide, you will simply just obey." He let go of Stefan then and I could tell it had worked. He looked a little loose cannon. Beside me, Elena only mumbled, "No," over and over again. "Now kill them, ripper." I saw Stefan's eyes change and he descended on them before there was any time to overthink it. I only gasped and moved backwards. I had never seen Stefan like this. In a way, I'd never seen Damon like this. This was the part of the supernatural world that everyone seemed concerned about keeping from me.

Klaus appeared between me and Elena only to antagonize us. "It's always nice to see a vampire in his true element. The species has become such a broody lot."

"No, you did this to him," said Elena.

"I invited him to the party, love. He's the one dancing on the table." In a way, it was true. Stefan clearly had a problem.

Just then the doors to the gym opened again and Rebekah came bounding in. "Where is it?!" she exclaimed. "Where is my necklace?!"

"What are you talking about?" groaned Klaus. It was clear the two of them were siblings.

"She has my necklace!" Rebekah was pointing at Elena. "Look!" She handed Klaus a phone and I could see from where I was standing that it was a picture of Elena and Stefan. She was wearing the necklace he'd given her early on in their relationship.

"Well, well, more lies from Stefan."

"Where is it?" Rebekah demanded again.

"I don't have it anymore," said Elena, which was true. The necklace had burned Elena not too long ago and none of us knew what was causing it so she'd given it to Bonnie. But the answer didn't satisfy Rebekah. Her eyes darkened and she pushed me out of the way to bite Elena. She'd barely nipped her when Klaus threw her off.

"Knock it off!" he yelled. I helped Elena to her feet and was only grateful the wound wasn't worse. But it was going to be. Stefan looked close to losing it when he smelled her blood. "Where's the necklace?" he demanded of Elena.

"I don't know," she responded.

"She's telling the truth, I promise you," I said. He turned to me then.

"Do you know where it is then?" His voice was calmer now and I didn't know if it was because he assumed he'd get more information out of me if he tried to be charming or what.

"We gave it to Bonnie because we thought it was spelled but she doesn't have it anymore. We don't know where it is. It was stolen." I did know where it was though. Damon had all but told me when he struck out on his trip with Katherine. She had it.

"Katerina, of course." He said her name the way Elijah always had and I still liked it. But Klaus had figured it out on his own. Technically, I hadn't told him. "Well, that's unfortunate. If we had the necklace, it would make things a whole lot easier for your witch but since we're doing this the hard way, let's put a clock on it, shall we?" He walked away from me only to hit the timer in the gym. The numbers read "20:00." "Twenty minutes and if Bonnie hasn't found a solution by then, I want you to feed again," he said to Stefan. It felt like my heart had stopped. He was going for either Elena or me, that much was certain. "This time, I want you to feed on Elena and in case you need a little bit of encouragement, I'm thinking I need a drink right now." Then he started walking toward me.

"No, Klaus!" said Elena. "Please."

"Oh, she's a big girl, Elena. She can handle it." But I didn't know that I could. I started backing up like I had earlier but it was no use. He was quick. He'd pinned me in under five seconds. My back was pressed against his chest and he had a hard grip on my waist before pushing my hair away from my throat. I twisted Jeremy's ring on my finger and clutched it tightly. "I quite like the symmetry of twins," Klaus said, his voice ringing in my ear. I tried to jerk away but he only wrapped his arm across my chest, pressing me back against him. I focused on Elena and tried to think of nothing else.

I felt his mouth before his teeth but I heard him tear into my flesh and the warmth of the blood oozed down my neck onto the white dress I was wearing. His hand smeared across my chest and I felt my head go back against his shoulder, unwittingly. I was being killed and this was the closest I'd ever really come to a man, other than hugging which in my book, simply didn't count. But I felt my legs weaken and my eyes fell shut as I felt my life force being literally sucked out of me. I tried to grip anything with my hands to keep from falling but I was just so tired.

For a second, I felt his hands leave me and I thought for sure I was finally dead from it. But they returned just as quickly but in different places. I felt him on my legs and my back and then I felt something firm , which had to be the bleachers, and for the first time, I heard his voice. "Drained you a bit too much, didn't I, sweetheart?"

I felt some thick liquid fill my mouth and seconds later, everything was completely coherent. He'd healed me. Why? I was half dead anyway. But the gym was empty now other me, Elena, and Stefan. Elena was sitting by me and I moved my hand against my neck, feeling for the bite but it wasn't there. The only evidence that it had happened was the blood on my dress. The clock was down to six minutes.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah," I responded. "Actually, I'm wonderful. I feel really, really good." She put on a face and tried to seem happy but she was worried. I had almost forgotten what the clock was counting down to. "But we need to get you out of here." She shook her head.

"Stefan is under orders to break our spines if we try to leave." I grimaced. It certainly wouldn't kill me so I was definitely not up for it. I needed to get my priorities sorted out if that was the kind of thing I thought of. "Stefan," she called before getting up. I followed her. "Caroline's dad was able to resist compulsion. I don't know how but maybe it's possible!" But I knew it wasn't. Caroline's dad had had training over years to learn.

Stefan laughed. "Maybe it's just mind control, right? Maybe it just takes some focus? A couple decades of training, no big deal."

"Stefan, you can control this."

"No, Elena, I don't think he can," I said. She gave me a look.

"When the clock goes down, just try for me. I think you can do it."

"You don't get it, Elena. Vivian's right. I can't stop because I'm a ripper. A ripper doesn't stop. I listen to the words that come out of your mouth and all I hear is the sound of your heart pumping blood through your body." I shuddered at the thought. "Now when that clock ticks down, I'm going to have to feed on you and you what's worse? I'm not gonna be able to stop."

"I don't believe that! You can fight it. You just have to want it bad enough." I backed off from their conversation and tried to think. But there just wasn't the time. There were no answers.

"You're both gonna have to run," said Stefan, jerking me from my thoughts. "If you stay it won't matter."

"Vivian, go!" said Elena. "I'll be right behind you." I listened to her.

My goal was either to find Caroline and Tyler or somehow make my way back home with Elena. If we were inside a house, Klaus couldn't get to either of us, especially Elena. But when I turned down a hallway, I slammed into Klaus.

"We've got to stop meeting like this," he said, grabbing hold of me again. "I take it if you're running, then Elena must be running too?"

It didn't take us long to find her and from there find Stefan. "The only thing stronger than your craving for blood is your love for this one girl," Klaus said, pushing Elena forward. "Why don't just turn it off? Your humanity is killing you! All the guilt must be excruciating." When Stefan said no, Klaus compelled him. It all happened so fast that I felt like I didn't know what was going on. "I believe I've fixed him but I think a test is in order, don't you? Ripper, perhaps you'd like a drink from the doppelganger's neck."

"No!" I exclaimed. Stefan's eyes grew darker. But I was pulled out of the room by Klaus before I could see anything. "No! Please don't let him kill her! She's my sister! I love her! Please." He stopped outside of the room and his face looked solemn, like he actually might pity me.

"He won't kill her. Seems that the Original witch told Bonnie that Elena still being alive was the problem." I rumpled my forehead. And he didn't want her dead? "The Original witch _hated _me. I don't believe she'd be going out of her way to help me so whatever she tells me, it has to be the opposite." I nodded slowly. It still didn't make it okay that he'd left Elena with Stefan in ripper-mode. "So I think that Elena's blood must be the key. But you know what's curious?" He paced in front of me before stopping. "Your blood tasted eerily familiar, quite similar in fact to your sister's." I tried to say something but he just went on. "And you know what else is curious? When Elijah was trying to procure Elena for me, he never mentioned you. When I saw you that night at the high school dance, I almost thought it was a joke because why would he have left you out? Strange for the doppelganger to have a twin but he said you were nothing special, just a mortal girl with a ring that lets her cheat death. So I thought, of course, I agree with him. But what he failed to mention was your blood."

"There was a spell," I said. "He told me a spell had been placed on me before Elena and I's birth that made our blood identical. I thought maybe I could take her place in the sacrifice but he told me I couldn't so I thought what was the use? But now I know I can help you. You can use my blood for the hybrids, not hers." He almost scoffed.

"He was protecting you," he said. "Well, look where that got him. He's daggered in a coffin somewhere and you're here offering to tap a vein. Well, let's see if it works."

He bit my wrist and let some of my blood fill a vial to give to Tyler. When I saw it work through a classroom window, I openly gasped. But I worried now about what I had signed on for.

Klaus gripped my arm and took me to the hospital where he planned to fill bags with my blood. I felt like throwing up thinking about it. "It's going to be nice having two sources of the blood for my hybrids," he said to me. I shook my head.

"No, that's not in our deal," I said. He snapped his head over to look at me.

"I don't believe I said anything about a deal."

"Well, I'm gonna make one. You use me and only me. Elena puts up with enough. I can do this much for her. You use me and forget she even has some kind of powerful blood." He pursed his lips at me but he waited. "How long before Damon or Stefan turns her anyway?" Stefan was going to come back from this. He loved Elena too much for this to completely turn him away from her forever.

"How long before you beg to be turned along with her?" I shook my head.

"I wouldn't. It's not in the deal but I wouldn't anyway." I'd done fairly well this entire time by not showing how absolutely terrified I was of him but I think he knew. "If I make a deal, I keep it." He cracked a smile at me then.

"Ah, so that's what Elijah liked about you. Quite earnest, aren't you, love? Well, I'll agree to your deal on one condition; that you come when I call and you don't resist."

"Well, you can't kill me during it even if you want to. I'm not going to cooperate if you aren't nice about it." He smirked again.

"Deal."

I hated IVs and blood work and really, everything to do with hospitals so I probably shouldn't have agreed to anything. But he'd have taken it anyway. This way I at least had some small amount of leverage.

After Klaus had compelled the hospital staff, I had an idea that I hoped I wouldn't come to regret. "I have a favor to ask you," I said.

"You're not really in a position to be making demands since our deal is already so much in your favor," he responded.

"I just want you to compel me." That made him stop in his tracks. He raised his eyebrows. "I don't want to remember that the draining happened at all, every time. If I trust you to do this, are you going to betray me?"

"Since you asked, no." I took off my vervaine bracelet and I sat down on the hospital bed, waiting. "You are a spunky little thing for being so frightened of me," he said. "Maybe I'll compel that out of you too." I shook my head.

"I'd like to be aware of my fight-or-flight response, thank you." He smiled again and then he placed his hands on either side of my face and forced me to look him in the eyes.

The next thing I knew, I was at home in my bed and Damon and Elena were standing beside me.


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey! I just want to thank ya'll so much for the kind reviews I've gotten lately. I'm really glad you're enjoying it. I have recently really loved writing this fic so hopefully the updates will be more consistent and have some more content now. By the way, were any of ya'll as angry as I was that Kol was offed last week?! He could've joined the Originals spinoff they're having! But anyway, as usual, I only own Vivian.**

I sat up in bed, completely dazed. I hadn't been dead, that's for sure. My vervaine bracelet was on my left wrist so luckily I hadn't left it at the hospital. I was still wearing the white dress stained with my blood that I'd had on in the gym earlier. So this night hadn't been a horrid nightmare, it had actually happened. I checked both of my elbow bends to look for marks of where they would've taken my blood but I didn't see any. I didn't feel lightheaded or anything at all. In fact, I felt fine.

"Lemme just go on and ask," began Damon, "what the hell were you thinking?"

"What happened?" I asked. "How did I get home?" Elena looked at me gravely. She was not happy with the blood thing.

"_I _brought you home from the hospital, half dead, not wearing your vervaine bracelet," said Damon. "Your new best friend skipped town when I mentioned a guy by the name of Mikael knew where he was. But he didn't leave without carting off half your body's blood in bags and he would've taken you along with him if I hadn't namedropped Mikael."

"Did you heal me?" I asked. Damon rolled his eyes.

"Do you not understand what the hell is going on, Viv? You not feeling a little loopy is not the crux of concern right now." Then that answered my question. Klaus had actually kept his word. I had to admit, I'd been more than a little skeptical about it. "Why did you hand yourself over to him, huh? What made you even think that your blood would do anything?" Elena sat on the bed beside me and I just looked between her and Damon for a few seconds. Neither of them was backing down.

"Well, I knew something was different about me when Katherine mentioned that about my blood a few months ago and then Elijah confirmed it. He told me that a witch had cast a spell on me before Elena and I's birth and it made our blood exactly the same, like we were identical. But apparently, he didn't tell Klaus that. Klaus only figured it out when he drank from me in the gym. I figured it meant if Elena truly died during the sacrifice, I would ensure that he couldn't make any more hybrids but that's not the case. Elena and I's blood is the only way for them to make it through the transition. Klaus used my blood to turn Tyler and it worked! So I made a deal with him to use me and not Elena." I'd barely taken a breath in all that talking and I could tell Damon was practically confused. Elena just looked dumbfounded.

"I can't ask you to do that," she said quickly. I shook my head.

"It's nothing. You do enough for everybody else anyway. You _were _killed during the ritual. It's the least I could do for you. But who knows whether he'll keep to it? I don't exactly trust him." Damon rolled his eyes again.

"I'm glad you had that breakthrough," he replied. "I was beginning to think he'd compelled you into liking him. That's what he'd need to do to have any friends; case in point, Stefan." Elena almost visibly shuddered. I'd forgotten all about that. I noticed there was a bandage on her neck from where Stefan had gone wild on her last night.

"Is he okay? Are you okay?" I asked Elena.

"He's a complete lunatic, to put it in simple terms," said Damon.

"He's been ordered to stay here and look after us," she said. "We are under his protection." I knew he'd been compelled to flip the switch on his emotions but he was actually listening to Klaus too?

"Why?" I asked. "We don't need protection."

"Well, I covered for you," she said.

"What do you mean?"

"I told her that maybe it wasn't a good idea to have Stefan following you around like a bloodthirsty cocker spaniel," said Damon. "Since he knew that you both have the same blood, he was more willing to protect you both." I shook my head senselessly.

"I still don't understand why either of us need to be babysat."

"Because Klaus is absolutely terrified of this Mikael guy. He's the only one that can apparently kill an Original for good. Klaus is worried he may get his hands on either of you."

"Who is Mikael and how do you know where he is or whether he'd even want to help us?"

"You can thank Katherine for most of this information. And Jeremy for his new ability to see ghosts. Anna mentioned the name and said he was a vampire who kills vampires." I had forgotten about Jeremy going through all this and seeing Vicky and Anna again.

"She also apparently mentioned that we'd be stupid to wake him," said Elena.

"Well, he doesn't exactly sound friendly. A vampire who kills vampires? Who's to say he won't go after you, Damon?" I asked.

"Because he's apparently very interested in getting rid of Klaus," said Damon. "Katherine is waking him up now. Soon we'll have a plan and we can get Stefan to lure him back to town and then voila! It'll all be taken care of. You'll be off the hook, Stefan's compulsion will wear off, and we can dagger the sister and get her out of the way. Life sans Originals. Doesn't it sound amazing?" It somewhat did sound nice since most of our problems seemed to stem from Klaus but I didn't think it was fair to Elijah, who really had done nothing wrong. I could forgive him for letting Klaus go. If there was a promise of getting to Jeremy and Elena after years of not knowing where they were, I would've taken it too. Besides, hadn't he paid the price for betraying us? He'd been daggered for months. "Nope! I know what you're thinking, Vivian, and no. I am not waking your untrustworthy best friend Original. You were the only one of us that he was partial to and even then, he still let Klaus escape."

"For completely understandable reasons," I replied.

"Have you _met_ Rebekah? If the other siblings are anything like the three I've met, they can all stay dead and locked in their coffins, as far as I'm concerned."

"That doesn't matter!" I said. "Stefan basically did the same thing for you."

"And still, I call him an idiot. Look at where it's gotten him."

"None of this changes the fact that we need Klaus to be dead," said Elena. "We'll all be happier for it." She was right, of course.

I got up and made myself head to class. I was running on maybe five hours of sleep but I couldn't just not show up to the first day of my senior year. I stood with Caroline, Bonnie, and Elena before deciding to walk into the building. I noticed Elena wearing a scarf around her neck.

"Okay, so prank night was a total bust," said Caroline, "but we are moving on. This is our senior year!"

"You're right," said Bonnie. "Why should I let the fact that my boyfriend is seeing the ghosts of his ex-girlfriends hinder this experience?"

"Yes! And why should I let the fact that my boyfriend was turned into a hybrid ruin this otherwise beautiful day?"

"Why should I let the fact that my blood turned said boyfriend into a hybrid affect my first day back at Mystic High?" I said. Bonnie nodded.

"Today's our anniversary," said Elena. "Technically, Stefan and I met on the first day of school last year."

"Yeah, you win," said Caroline.

"Are you sure either of you wanna be here?" Bonnie asked us. I shrugged. I'd made it here this morning so of course, I wanted to be here. At the very least, school would be a distraction.

"I have to put it behind me," said Elena. "New year, new life."

The day started out fairly normal but that wasn't to last. Tyler came into school high on life and said that Rebekah was still around, keeping an eye on him because he was the first successful hybrid. Caroline wasn't happy about it and I didn't blame her. The hybrid thing was nothing to be excited about and Rebekah was absolutely beautiful. She had to be feeling at least a little bit insecure.

I got to history early with Elena so that we could brief Alaric on the Stefan situation. Stefan had run into Elena already this morning and made it known that he planned on following us around indefinitely.

"So Klaus can use both of you to successfully create his hybrids?" Ric asked.

"That's the general idea," said Elena.

"But I made a deal with him so that he would only use me," I said.

"Damon doesn't think we should be airing that information to Stefan or anyone else." He was probably right. Damon had already texted me saying that Rebekah had practically moved in with them and that Stefan had had one hell of a party last night while he'd been helping me. I didn't want to know what that might have entailed. I didn't need to feel wary of Stefan. He'd beat this.

"Well, I certainly won't tell anyone," said Ric. "We just need to make sure the rest of the group won't."

The bell rang and we took our seats. Elena and I sat diagonally from one another like we had last year. I watched as everyone trailed in. Stefan demanded that the person sitting behind me move so that he could have the perfect seat to keep an eye on both me and Elena. I felt my breathing quicken when he leaned forward onto the desk and spoke to me. "Don't try anything stupid, Vivian," he said. "I'll snap your neck without thinking twice about it." I nodded slowly and he backed off. I twisted Jeremy's ring on my finger and only stared forward at Alaric who looked plainly worried.

"Welcome back, seniors," said Ric. "Let's turn our brains back on, starting with this country's original founders; the Native Americans."

"What about the Vikings?" said a woman. I'd heard her voice before. Sure enough, it was Rebekah who was waltzing into the classroom. When her eyes locked on me, she smiled.

"There's no evidence that Vikings actually settled in the United States," retorted Ric. I felt my heart rate pick up when she sat in the empty seat beside me. She smiled again so I returned the gesture. "Who are you?"

"My name's Rebekah. I'm new and history is my favorite subject." She turned her head to the side and almost grinned. I had no doubt history was her favorite subject.

The rest of the day went by fast and under the circumstances, fairly normal. After school, I tried to run on the track with Elena because we were planning on hanging out with Caroline after cheerleading practice. Alaric had also stressed that with Stefan around, we probably needed to bulk up. Elena noticed something was up with Tyler so she decided that Caroline needed help with it, leaving me on my own on the track. Stefan popped up beside me minutes later. I didn't say anything for a while until I finally broke down.

"This can't exactly be much fun for you," I said. He granted me a smile.

"It's not like I have a choice. I'm just a guy protecting the human blood bag. No offense," he replied. He meant for me to take offense but I didn't give him much of a response. Needless to say, if I wanted to go jogging, I'd start running in my own neighborhood.

Elena and Damon got it into their heads that Stefan needed to be taken care of for a while because otherwise, he was completely off the rails. Elena and I simply couldn't concentrate on anything with him around. He popped up outside of my bedroom door when I got changed for the bonfire and mocked the outfit I was wearing. I wasn't exactly sure what he got out of scrutinizing my new lavender sundress but that was his business.

Before the bonfire, everyone convened in Alaric's classroom. I rubbed my neck with my hands while standing beside Damon. Everything was a-go. Caroline had prepared the Lockwood cellar, I would distract Rebekah, and Elena would lure Stefan away from the party. Then Tyler strode in, late.

"Hey, sorry, what do you need me to do?" he asked.

"We need you to get into your mom's vervaine and get enough to take Stefan down," said Elena. He made a face.

"You can't do that to Stefan."

"Trust me, it's in his best interest."

"Yeah, but it's not in Klaus'." A chill travelled down my spine at the mention of his name. What the heck was Tyler talking about?

"Klaus is the bad guy, Tyler," said Caroline. "He practically killed Vivian the other day and he did kill Jenna. Besides, why are you acting like some freaky hybrid slave minion?"

"Uh oh," said Damon from beside me. I turned and gave him a look.

"What?" moaned Alaric.

"Klaus made me who I am, Caroline," said Tyler. "I owe him everything."

"Oh boy," said Damon.

"Okay, can we cool it with the commentary, please?" Caroline implored.

"What is going on?" I asked. Tyler shrugged at me, like I would understand what he was going through. I watched Damon pick up one of Alaric's vervaine filled needles.

"I'm just gonna go," said Tyler, backing out of the room. He'd barely moved when Damon had stabbed him with the needle.

"What are you doing?!" shrieked Caroline.

"He's been sired," said Damon.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"He feels loyal to Klaus because Klaus' blood created him."

"Loyal, how?" asked Elena.

"Loyal as in he needs acceptance from his master. It's really rare but apparently, not too much in hybrids."

"So how do I fix him?" asked Caroline.

"Get a new boyfriend." She scoffed. "Okay, let's get back to the plan. Everybody out!"

I wouldn't normally have gone to the bonfire. Stuff like that just typically wasn't my thing. But I was forced to be there because otherwise, Stefan would've been forced to choose between me and Elena on whom to stalk. My money happened to be on myself with that because Stefan clearly knew something from Klaus. He'd been keeping up with him wherever he'd disappeared to. Nonetheless, I was required to distract Rebekah which I figured would be the real issue with everything. I was wary of her, like I had been with Elijah and was with Klaus. But they were blood related. They each had to have something good in them, right? Otherwise, Elijah wouldn't have made a fuss about not seeing them. The only person I could foresee being the real issue of the family was Klaus himself and luckily, he wasn't here right now.

I spotted Rebekah sitting alone near a fire, trying to roast marshmallows but looking entirely unimpressed with the idea. I took a deep breath and walked over.

"Do you mind if I sit with you?" I asked slowly. I tried to gauge her reaction before she said anything. At first it was like she had no clue who I was but then her eyes dropped to Jeremy's ring and she knew.

"Sure, why not?" she responded in that thick voice of hers. I took a deep breath and slowly sank down onto the log beside her. "That's a nice dress." I turned my head to her quickly. Was she Mean Girls-ing me? "It's quite a bit more demure than most I've seen in this century." She pulled her marshmallow off the end of her stick and stared at it, disappointed.

"Well, thank you," I said. She tried to muster a smile.

"Is there supposed to be a point to these?" She held up half of her melted marshmallow and it glopped to the ground with a saddening thud. I laughed a little and I saw her lighten up.

"Yeah but if you want my opinion, they aren't good until they're burned. Then they have a crusty outside and aren't so… marshmallowy."

"I'll try that," she said, reaching for a new marshmallow and slowly putting it into the fire.

"If you ask me, marshmallows aren't all they're cracked up to be. It's like they expand in your mouth." I grimaced and she laughed, she actually laughed.

"That's exactly what they do! I ate one earlier at Damon's insistence and it was disgusting." Then I laughed and it surprisingly put me at ease. It was like she wasn't a vampire at all, let alone a member of the Original family.

"Learn it now; never listen to anything Damon says."

As she pulled off her burnt marshmallow, she asked me a question that completely threw me for a loop. "Have you ever slept with him? Damon?" She plopped the marshmallow in her mouth and I made a horrified expression. Damon wasn't all that far from us, keeping an eye on Elena, and by the smile on his face, I could guess he'd heard it. "You're right, this is delicious."

"I told you so!" I said, hoping that she'd forget about Damon.

"But have you?" she inquired. She laughed when she saw the look on my face. "Oh, you've never been with anyone. Hmm, I can't see why you'd pass up Damon. He's partial to you, isn't he?" I choked out a laugh.

"We're friends and nothing else. He's uh, got a thing for my sister." Rebekah rolled her eyes.

"Doesn't everyone? I hate every single one of those doppelganger bitches." I tried not to make a remark in defense of Elena. Rebekah clearly didn't want to hear it.

"So you like Stefan?" I asked, trying to move the topic of conversation away from me. I figured she'd be one to make fun of me for never even having a boyfriend but it didn't seem like she cared. Maybe she actually liked me.

"He doesn't give me the time of day anymore so no but I used to. We had a great deal of fun in the twenties." I'd begged Damon more times than I could remember for information on what the 1920s had really been like and he'd all but shrugged me off every single time. I had no doubt now it was because of Stefan. "He didn't remember until my brother allowed him to, though. So I can see how it was all lost in translation."

"Well, what did you do together? What were the twenties like?"

"Klaus tells me you're rather squeamish so I'll leave out the gory details but it was a wonderful time." She launched into telling me all about the speak easies and Prohibition and the way she used to like to wear her hair. Before I knew it, the bonfire was ending.

"Wow, I didn't realize how late it was," I said. "I'm sorry if I kept you." She shook her head a little sheepishly.

"You didn't. I actually enjoyed this. But why are you being so nice to me?" The way she said it was strange, like she didn't believe anyone would be nice to her without ulterior motives. It made me feel guilty for distracting her but all in all, I'd had a good time too.

"You can't be in high school without friends, you know?" She smiled again. She didn't sense anything off with what I was saying and I really was telling the truth. "You especially couldn't spend your first high school party alone."

"Thank you, Vivian. I'll see you in class tomorrow." With that, she sauntered off and I scrounged for my phone, knowing I had missed something with Elena. All I had was a text from Elena saying she was fine and she would explain everything later.

A couple days later, after a grueling time at school, I got a call from Damon. "This witchy juju screwed up something and all these ghosts have been walking around. Ask me questions about that later. I need you to come to the old Lockwood property and bring Ric. He'll probably wanna see this." I listened to him and left off questions regarding the ghosts because I knew Jeremy would explain it later. Ric and I jumped in the car and headed over to meet Damon.

Night was falling by the time we finally arrived and Damon looked exasperated. "Our old pal, Mason, happened to tell me that the Lockwoods knew something about a weapon that could kill an Original vampire. Since Mikael has been a bust so far, I figured it was worth a look. By the time I got down into those stupid caves, Bonnie had broken the spell and Mason was gone. Vampires can't enter whatever little cavern holds all the secrets so I need you two to look for me." Alaric rolled his eyes but I believed Damon. Mason, whether he hated Damon or not, had no reason to want to sabotage everyone in the town. He had to be telling the truth.

The two of us slowly followed Damon down into the caves beneath the old Lockwood property. The Lockwoods had probably found them when they were looking for places to turn without injuring anyone. The caves were old, that much was certain. When Damon gestured sarcastically to a sunken cavern, I stepped down and grasped for the flashlight Ric was handing me. The two of us took to searching for any clues and my light hit the wall at the right spot.

"I've found something!" I called.

"Well, what the hell is it?" asked Damon.

"I don't know. I really can't tell. I think they're some kind of cave drawings." That's exactly what they were and they were old as the hills too. The drawings were all symbols drawn in different patterns, probably telling a story.

"Vivian, there's something over here!" called Alaric. I moved towards him and looked at the wall opposite us. "I think they're names."

"Yeah," I said. "I think they are too. They're in runic."

"What the hell is runic?" yelled Damon.

"An old Viking script," said Ric.

"I guess the Vikings made it to the New World after all," I replied. "These drawings can't be less than a thousand years old."

"Damon and I will go back to my apartment and get some books and we'll decipher what these mean." They'd come and gone in twenty minutes, lugging textbooks, translation books, notebooks, and more lights. Minutes later I'd decoded one name: Elijah.


	12. Chapter 12

**Sorry about the long wait! I hope ya'll enjoy this chapter. I had a lot of fun writing it. These were two of my favorite episodes in season three! As usual, I own nothing but Vivian.**

As the night went on, I'd finally figured out all eight names; Elijah, Rebekah, Niklaus, Kol, Finn, Henrik, Esther, and Mikael. The Original family was emblazoned on a cave wall beneath the Lockwood property. It didn't make any sense. Elijah had said they had been from Eastern Europe, not that they'd ever lived here. But then again, Elijah hadn't exactly been forthcoming with information on when they'd become vampires.

"Mikael's name is here," I said.

"Mikael, the guy we sent Katherine to awaken?" asked Alaric. I nodded, using my flashlight to scan around the entire cave. There were symbols painted all over the walls that Alaric was trying to decipher. So far, he hadn't come up with anything at all.

"Or as I'd like to call him, Papa Original," said Damon from outside the tavern.

"Well, Elijah said that his mother had had seven children," I said. "There's one missing. Esther must be the mother since we know Rebekah. He also said that Klaus was the result of an affair so there's Niklaus and a symbol by his name." I moved up close to the engraving of Klaus' name on the wall and I studied the symbol beside his name. "Maybe when we see this symbol elsewhere, we're supposed to assume that it's Klaus they're talking about."

Alaric moved around the cave, snapping pictures of everything in sight. "I can't figure this stuff out on my own," he said. "It's clearly telling a story but if we don't understand the symbols, we can't figure out what they're telling us." He needed Bonnie.

"You're a genius, Ric," said Damon sarcastically. Ric rolled his eyes.

"Maybe someone could talk to Rebekah," I said.

"Are you out of your mind?" asked Alaric.

"No, for once I think this is pretty clear to understand. She was there. She can tell someone the narrative and why this stuff is in the caves in the first place."

"Not me," said Damon.

"What about Elena?" I asked. "She'd love to be included in this. It could get her mind off Stefan."

"Stefan has been following her around like some insane bulldog when he can't find you," said Damon. "She can't do anything without him knowing. The last thing we need is for him to make a call to Klaus and say we've been digging in his family history."

"And you think Rebekah wouldn't do the same thing?" asked Ric.

"Actually, she might not," I said. "Klaus left her here without so much as a by-your-leave. She's mad at him."

"Why don't you do it then?" called Damon. "You buddied up to her at the bonfire. She might be thinking that the two of you are friends."

"I'd like to be her friend," I said, which wasn't a lie. I'd liked Rebekah the night I'd talked to her and immediately felt guilty for distracting her. "I guess I could do it."

"Well, you're certainly more likable than Damon," whispered Alaric.

"I heard that!" yelled Damon.

I arrived at the Salvatore house after school the next day after verifying that somehow it would be okay to hang out with Rebekah. I'd caught her at cheer practice and asked her if she would be okay with talking to me. For some odd reason, she'd agreed. I'd shown her some pictures of the markings in the cave and all she'd wanted to know was how I found them. I'd thrown out that I was curious about her and Klaus running from their father and that was the only thing that had vaguely ruffled her feathers.

When I'd walked inside, there were several girls in homecoming dresses standing in the living room. Rebekah was waltzing around telling them to move for the better angle. I paused, more than a little horrified. She was more than likely feeding off of these girls. I twisted the Gilbert ring around my finger. What had I gotten myself into?

"Vivian!" she exclaimed when she caught sight of me. "Do you know what dress you're wearing to Homecoming?" She seemed to bypass the expression of fear on my face in favor of conversation. She was used to people being scared of her.

I shook my head. "No, I don't… Not yet," I responded. Rebekah only smiled.

"Well, tell me which one I should wear and I'll pick one for you." I tried to smile. I scanned each of the girls before finally making a decision.

"The red one would look great on you." I could already picture her in it. She nodded.

"I like it too. Good taste." She walked back and forth once, inspecting every dress before deciding. "I'm thinking this one." She pointed to a green dress that was the same style as hers. It was cute and it made me feel like the two of us really might be friends in the making.

"I like it," I said. "Thanks." Rebekah said something and the girls left the room quickly. "So you actually want to go to Homecoming?" She nodded.

"I've never been to a high school dance before. I think I might enjoy it." She seemed embarrassed to be telling me this at all. "Do you like them?"

"Sure, they can be fun. Mostly I love to dress up for them. I imagine it would be more enjoyable if you had a date. No one's ever asked me to go." Rebekah made a face. "Someone will surely ask you."

"If not, I'll compel us both dates." I laughed then, really laughed and she did too. It was probably the only way I'd ever get a date to the dance. In a small town like Mystic Falls, everybody knew everybody and chances are, they knew who you'd date before you dated them. Matt and Elena had been inevitable and Matt was the only guy in town that I would've wanted to take me to a dance. There just weren't many options.

"I hope you can find someone worthy in Mystic Falls." She continued laughing.

"You're right! It's doubtful I will." I really liked Rebekah when she was like this and wasn't trying to scare the hell out of me or Damon. In fact, I was really glad she'd made herself at home in the Salvatore house and that they'd let her. But she soon lapsed out of her happy mood and turned back to me. "So what is it you want to know?"

"I, uh, I'm just curious about your family," I said, not daring to let it slip that the cave supposedly held the only way to kill an Original. But Rebekah was safe, as far as I was concerned. Klaus was the one who needed to be worried. "We stumbled on the cave and I'm a complete history buff. Alaric and I just didn't understand the symbols." She raised her eyebrows. She still didn't completely trust me and little did she know, she was right in assuming I wasn't innocently curious.

"I will rip out your ribcage if you are doing this to get me to betray Nik." My heart pounded. I believed her.

"No, of course not! This isn't about Klaus at all!" I had never been a good liar but maybe she just didn't care. Rebekah narrowed her eyes before smiling.

"Well, I hope you're being honest with me, Vivian. I'd hate to have to hurt my brother's new favorite pet."

"Rebekah, I am hoping if we figure out the markings in the cave, we can show them to you. It looks like they're telling the story of your family. I'd be glad to show you some more of the pictures."

"Why don't you just take me to the caves now, hmm?" She had crossed her arms and was sauntering toward me.

"Vampires can't get in. There's some kind of magical seal up." That Rebekah did believe. I promised myself that I wouldn't cross her again.

"Fine," she responded. "What all do you know?" She gestured for me to sit down on one of the couches so slowly, I did.

"Uh, Elijah mentioned you were from Eastern Europe but he didn't tell me you'd ever lived here or that people here would've known of you." All in all, Elijah hadn't told me very much. Then again, he'd had no reason to.

"A plague struck our village and resulted in the death of our oldest sibling. My parents fled Europe for a place that was supposedly free of disease; the New World," she said. I almost interjected to ask how they'd known about the New World during that time. They weren't Vikings, not technically, and other than the Vikings, no one on the planet had gone far enough to see the Americas during the time she was talking about. "I was born here," she said distantly. "Our mother was a powerful witch and as such, she had friends. The witch, Ayanna, helped my family settle down here, in a small village that was indeed free from the plague. But there were other people in this village, who were werewolves. During the full moon, my family had to hide in the caves where you found those inscriptions."

"Did you make them?" I asked slowly. I figured she would've come forward with that information earlier but this trip down memory lane didn't seem to be a happy one.

"Nik and I carved our names and the names of our family onto the walls, yes." I nodded and waited for her to go on. She'd done the names, not the symbols. "I take it Elijah told you of my mother's affair." I nodded again. "My father didn't know, not really, but he was always harsh on Nik no matter who was in the right. If Elijah made a mistake, it was on Nik. If I did something wrong, it was on Nik. But then he truly did make a mistake that there was no coming back from. Our youngest brother, Henrik, and Niklaus snuck out one night during a full moon to see the other villagers change." Rebekah didn't need to elaborate. I'd already put it together in my head. "The next morning Nik came back holding Henrik in his arms. The werewolves had killed him brutally, all while Klaus looked on." Was I actually feeling sympathy for Klaus? Did I really feel bad for him? I hadn't imagined anything like what Rebekah was saying to be in his past. The mean father that would eventually hunt him to the ends of the earth, seeing his own brother killed before his eyes. It was all horrible. "That was the beginning of the end of the peace with our neighbors and one of the last moments my family had as humans. My mother and father begged Ayanna for her help in ensuring that none of their children would go through the same thing. When she refused, my mother took it upon herself to do the spell anyway."

"The spell that turned you into vampires?" Rebekah nodded solemnly.

"She called upon the sun for life and the ancient white oak tree, one of nature's eternal objects, for immortality." The daggers called for the ash of the white oak tree. "That night my father served us wine laced with blood." The blood of the original doppelganger. "After we'd consumed it, he ran us through with his sword."

"He killed you? Your father killed all of his children?"

"He wasn't delicate about it either. When we awoke, he forced us to drink the blood of a girl. Nik tried to resist but eventually gave in, like I did." Klaus had evidently changed in his thousand years but I didn't think Rebekah really had.

"Your parents turned with you?"

"Only my father. My mother knew that you couldn't be a witch and a vampire too. Vampires are abominations of nature. She chose to remain a witch. She was lucky. At first, we all enjoyed it but soon we discovered all of the shortcomings that Ayanna had warned our mother about. The spirits turned on us and nature fought back. For every strength, there would be a weakness. The sun became our enemy. It kept us indoors for weeks. And then my mother found a solution."

"Daylight rings," I said. Rebekah nodded.

"But there were other problems. Neighbors who had opened their homes to us could now keep us out. Flowers at the base of the white oak burned and prevented compulsion. And the spell decreed that the tree that gave us life could also take it away. So we burned it to the ground." There was the ash. It was all adding up. "But the darkest consequence was something my parents never anticipated... The hunger. Blood had made us reborn and it was blood that we craved above all else. We could not control it. And with that the predatory species was born." I nodded but there were still some things I didn't understand.

"I get that your father was a harsh person and I can tell you're frightened of him but why would he hunt his own children? When did he find out about Klaus?" I asked. Rebekah had a dim smile on her face.

"When Klaus made his first kill as a vampire, it triggered his werewolf gene. With that, he became my father's greatest shame. Every one of us had always been scared of Mikael to some degree, Klaus especially. He had a big temper and he liked to use it. In a fit of rage, my father killed my mother's lover and all of his family, igniting a war between the species. He then killed my mother while Klaus was forced to watch." I gasped. "You're starting to understand him now, aren't you?"

"I'm starting to understand why you would want to still be friends with him. I didn't get why you would still be civil with a person who daggered you and left you that way for practically a century."

"He's my brother. Am I supposed to spend an eternity alone?" I shook my head.

"What happened after your mother was killed?"

"My father and two of my brothers, Kol and Finn, took off. Elijah, Klaus, and I stayed long enough to bury her and to promise each other we'd stick together. Family above all. Always and forever." 'Family above all' seemed like a good motto to live by. It was the way I felt about Elena and Jeremy and to some degree, Ric.

I relayed most of the information she'd given me to Ric and Elena who were trying to figure out everything with the symbols. But I still stayed at the Salvatore house with Rebekah. Talking about everything to me had torn her up and I felt I owed it to her to stay. Rebekah revealed nothing more about Klaus though or anything else about her family other than a mild warning to not wake Mikael. She was terrified of him, that much was plain, and if there was something that terrified a person like her, it ought to scare the rest of us.

Hours later, Elena burst into the house holding pictures Alaric had taken at the cave. Rebekah was reeling with anger that Elena had decided to join us but I could tell this was serious, otherwise Elena would never have bothered.

"Do you see these symbols?" Elena asked of Rebekah. "This one means the original witch and this one is the symbol for hybrid," she said pointing to each. She moved to a final picture slowly. "Your father didn't kill your mother… Klaus did." My heart almost dropped into my stomach. I'd been beginning to see Klaus' side of things but sure enough, he had to do something to ruin it. I had never been expecting this. I turned my head to see Rebekah's reaction.

"You're lying," said Rebekah. "Nik wouldn't lie about that to us." But I knew he had. It would've been the only way to keep people like Rebekah and Elijah on his side. "The people who drew that on those walls didn't know anything about our family! They're just stupid stories! They're the liars!" She was choking up though and for some reason, she looked at me for some kind of reassurance. I only shook my head. Rebekah sunk down onto the floor in the Salvatore's living room, crying. "Why are you doing this to me?"

"You deserved to know," said Elena. "Klaus has been lying to you all this time to keep you with him. He has a hold on you, on Vivian, on everyone! He has for a thousand years. We have to make it stop."

"Do it!" Rebekah growled. "Bring Mikael!" That was the answer Elena had been looking for and she was gone without a moment's notice, no doubt to find out where Damon was. I did what I could to console Rebekah.

"You don't have to do this, Rebekah," I said. "You don't have to help us with him."

"You don't want to Mikael to come either? You don't agree with your sister?" she asked, seemingly confused.

"Sometimes, she's just not right," I responded. But Rebekah had agreed nonetheless.

A day later, Stefan and Damon had returned with Mikael in tow. They'd already thought up a plan that involved me daggering Mikael so that when Stefan called Klaus, he wouldn't be lying. I hadn't been big on having Mikael in the house at all but Damon had already told me that the humans here would be safe from him. He only cared about eliminating vampires. He also was only aware of my blood working on the hybrids. I was half pleased and half terrified by that.

"Okay, we'll say Mikael grabbed Vivian in here," said Stefan, wandering into the study. Damon kept himself between me and Stefan the whole time, which I majorly appreciated. "He wanted to use her as bait."

"We vervained him," said Damon. "Guy's an Original. Let's make this believable."

"And in the process discovered that he had a dagger which he'd planned to use on Rebekah but…"

"I drove it through his heart," I said. "I'm sorry but this is not at all believable. Klaus has met me. He knows I'm not the one who would've done it."

"Yeah, well, you're the only person that Mikael could use as bait," said Damon.

"And he's agreed to let me stake him?" I asked. "Klaus is going to want proof that his father is dead."

"Then I shall be dead." A new voice had entered the room and I turned on my heels to see it's owner. Elena had finally joined us with who I could only assume was Mikael. The guy gave me the creeps. "Klaus will absolutely want to see my body. You'll lure him back and I shall kill him."

"With what?" asked Stefan. "Those daggers won't work on him."

"I am in possession of a stake fashioned from the wood of the ancient white oak tree," said Mikael. "The one that left these ashes when it burned." He pulled out a vial of ashes and one of the daggers we'd all become so familiar with.

"Where is it?" asked Elena.

"Not here. Knowing it's location is my insurance policy."

"Against what?" asked Damon.

"You leaving this in my heart." He held up the dagger after dipping it in the vial and extended it towards me. "You are Vivian, are you not?" I nodded before grabbing the hilt. "Do it." I took a deep breath and gripped the handle of the dagger harshly before driving it into Mikael's heart. I'd done my best to not get too close to him and thankfully, it had worked. I watched the dagger do it's job as I took several steps backward.

"Turning into a badass, Viv," said Damon. "Don't stop now." I wanted to say something but Stefan had already called Klaus. Rebekah slowly entered the room and moved to stand by me. Klaus had asked to speak to her and she verified that Mikael was dead.

"He bought it," she said when she hung up. "He's coming home."

"Now was that easy or what?"

"I just want this over with," I said as Elena bent forward and pulled the dagger out of Mikael's chest.

The next day was the Homecoming dance. Rebekah was getting a head start and I helped her with her hair before Elena decided to join us. At first I thought Elena was actually trying to be genuine with Rebekah. From my vantage point on the guest bed, I think Rebekah was really beginning to like Elena.

"We know it's hard," I said. "So thank you for being on our side with this." Rebekah only nodded.

"Just be careful," she said. "I've been running for a thousand years for a reason. Mikael is not a nice person and he definitely can't be trusted. No one in my family can."

"Are you okay?" asked Elena.

"I've spent my whole life loving and hating my brother in equal measure. I never thought I'd be the one to help drive a stake through his heart." Rebekah blinked back tears. "I don't want to ruin my makeup." I smiled at her. Rebekah was a really nice person when you got past all the other stuff that had been going on. "How I do look?"

"Beautiful," I said. "Matt won't be able to control himself." Matt hadn't had anybody to take to the dance so Tyler had decided to set the two of them up. Rebekah only laughed.

"But you're missing one thing," said Elena, pulling out the necklace Stefan had given her. Rebekah's eyes watered again when she saw it.

"My mother's necklace."

"You should wear it tonight." Rebekah nodded. "May I?" Rebekah nodded again and turned back to the mirror. I almost reveled in this moment before it was wrenched away from me. I heard Rebekah gasp and I got off the bed in a hurry. Before I knew it, Rebekah was lying on the floor, with a dagger through her back.

"Are you insane, Elena?" I yelled. "She was helping us!"

"She was a liability," Elena responded. "She could've told Klaus what was going on and I think she might have. She was right when she said that you can't trust anyone in her family."

"I can't believe you literally stabbed her in the back! She was starting to like you!"

"We can't leave anything to chance." Damon came in seconds later to retrieve her body and I was pacing around the room like an idiot.

"I think you need to go back to your old friends, Viv," he said. "The Originals are no good for you."

"Well, you've insured she'll go on a rampage the next time she's awake," I said.

"Who says anyone is gonna wake her up?"

"It had to be done, Vivian," said Elena. "Rebekah was never gonna be completely on our side."

"I'm not judging you," said Damon.

"It was very Katherine of you," I said out of spite. I may have only just met Rebekah but I'd liked her and we had been on our way to becoming close. I felt sorry for her.

"I can't believe you'd say something like that to me," said Elena, clearly hurt.

"I'm sorry," I responded. "I just- She could've been my friend. She was my friend."

"Hey, take it as a compliment," said Damon. "Katherine is a mastermind."

I got ready for Homecoming in the dress that Rebekah had picked out for me. I straightened my hair while Damon told me that Elena really did feel bad about hurting Rebekah. I didn't doubt it but Elena was changing and sometimes, I wasn't entirely sure it was for the better.

Caroline called Elena and said that the gym had flooded so Homecoming was being moved to Tyler's house. I went along with it and got there around the same time as Caroline and Bonnie. Elena was going to be Matt's backup date so she'd told me to go on. When I got there, I was surprised at how popular Homecoming already was.

"How did Tyler plan a better party than me so fast?" asked Caroline.

"Is that a band outside?" asked Bonnie.

"Wait," I said, "who are all these people?" Everywhere I turned my head were kids who clearly did not go to Mystic High.

"This is weird," said Caroline. "I'm gonna find Tyler."

The three of us split and I went outside to see who the band was and how Tyler had managed to get them so quickly. I caught sight of Stefan and Tyler talking so I started to make my way over to them… and stopped dead in my tracks when the music ended.

"Good evening!" I turned my head and saw Klaus standing on the stage the band had been on a moment ago. "I want to thank you all for being here to celebrate with me!" The crowd went wild at this and I had to question everyone's sanity. No one here should've known Klaus other than the few of us. "It's been a long time coming." Klaus' eyes scanned the crowd and fixed on me. I twisted Jeremy's ring around my finger.

I saw him approach Stefan minutes later and I breathed a sigh of relief. Stefan didn't know about Rebekah so it couldn't be compelled out of him. Actually, Stefan was completely ignorant of the plan that Damon had come up with. I wasn't entirely sure that Elena knew.

I had tried to hook back up with Caroline and Bonnie but Caroline was nowhere to be found and Bonnie was busy talking to people that I didn't really know. I hadn't even seen Elena and Matt. But of course, that was when Klaus found me. I didn't even care that I was openly nervous.

"Vivian, it's nice to see you again," he said in that charming voice as he arrived in front of me. "Where's your date?" I watched as he cracked open a beer bottle and shot some of it back.

"I don't have one," I responded.

"You also don't have a drink and we can't have that at my party." He handed me the beer bottle he'd just drunk from before grabbing himself another one.

"I, uh, I don't like beer."

"Then you're not drunk enough." He laughed at himself a little and I tried to smile. When he made a gesture at me, I drank some of the beer and openly grimaced. He laughed again. "Seems I have you to thank for Mikael's demise." I nodded.

"I suppose you do. I didn't have a choice."

"I'm very impressed. It's not easy for a human to dagger an Original, let alone one such as yourself. I would've expected it of Elena. She's had experience, has she not? With Elijah?" I gulped and I felt my heart pound unnaturally. Klaus' mouth turned up in a smirk. "Your heartbeat skips whenever I talk about him, did you know that?" I shook my head.

"I'm sorry," I said, feeling color rush to my cheeks. "I've got to go." When I turned, he grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

"Well then I'll make this quick. Whatever your friends are thinking of trying, you should do your best to stop them, Vivian. I have been on the run for a thousand years and I am always one step ahead. This place is full of my hybrids and as you well know, they feel rather obligated to me. So if anyone makes a wrong move towards me, you best believe they'll be dead."

"There's nothing going on," I said, turning back to face him. He laughed.

"Funnily enough, I don't trust you and normally, I might. You're not the type to mastermind some colossal plan but your friends are. Feel free to warn them." Klaus loosened his grip on my arm and slinked away. So I did the same. I needed to get into position for the plan.

Mikael had compelled Klaus' hybrids and once he'd gotten Klaus to rendezvous with him at the door, one of them pushed me forward. Mikael grabbed hold of me, careful to make sure I didn't touch the threshold of the door. I didn't have to fake being scared. When Klaus laid his eyes on me, he looked like he was going to crack. But then he thought better of it. I watched him search my hands for my ring and when Klaus looked like he would officially panic, I looked down myself.

My hands were empty. Jeremy's ring was nowhere to be found. "Oh God," I said. "Oh, my God." When I looked further, I noticed that my vervaine bracelet was gone. I looked in horror at Mikael and his grip on me tightened.

"Come out and face me, Niklaus, or she dies," said Mikael. I saw him toss the Gilbert ring to the floor inside the Lockwood mansion. It clanged when it hit the floor and Klaus barely blinked for looking at me in horror. He grabbed it in his hands and I struggled against Mikael.

"Fine," said Klaus. "Kill her."

"He'll do it," I said. Another hybrid had Elena down on the lawn and I felt myself start to panic. "He'll kill us both."

"This lot will be the last of your abominations," said Mikael. Klaus and I kept our eyes on each other and somehow, it was actually making me feel better.

"I don't need them," said Klaus. "I just need to be rid of you."

"To what end, Niklaus? So you can live forever with no one at your side?" Klaus flinched at that and I almost felt sorry for him. Almost. "No one cares about you anymore, boy! Who do you have other than those whose loyalty you've forced? No one." Klaus' eyes filled with tears and that's when I knew that I did, that I did feel sorry for him.

"I'm calling your bluff, Father. Kill her. Kill them both."

"Come outside and face me, you little coward and I won't have to." I flinched.

"My whole life you've underestimated me. If you kill her, you'll lose your leverage. So go ahead, go on. Kill her." My eyes welled with tears and I looked up to keep them from falling before staring back at Klaus. "Come on, old man. Kill her." I shook my head. "Kill them both!" Mikael laughed and I felt myself shaking.

"Your impulse, Niklaus. It has and will forever be the one thing that keeps you from truly being great." I saw Klaus flinch again and I closed my eyes. I put my right foot forward and put my weight on it. Then I felt it. A dagger entered my back where I had seen it enter Rebekah's earlier that day. I gasped in pain and I heard Klaus gasp too in disbelief. When Mikael's hands left me, I fell forward, just like I'd wanted to, into the house. Klaus blindly reached out to grab me and once I was in his arms, I heard Elena scream out. "Katherine!" yelled Mikael. I smiled when I heard that.

Damon descended on Klaus fast and I heard Klaus yell when I hit the floor. He'd dropped my ring when Damon stabbed him in the hip and it rolled away from me. I watched in disbelief as Stefan tackled Damon off of Klaus. My fingers clawed for my ring and when I finally got it, Klaus had torn out the stake and stabbed it through Mikael's heart.

I rolled onto my back as I heard Stefan and Damon arguing. I arched my wound off the floor as Klaus entered the house again. Damon split without so much as a look my way and I watched in disbelief as Klaus gave Stefan back his freedom. "Damon!" I yelled, hoping he was still close by. "Damon!" But he'd been smart to leave. I hoped Katherine had too. They'd both be killed for this. I saw in horror that Stefan wasn't going to help me either, even after getting his freedom back.

I rolled back onto my stomach to try to grab at the wall and pull myself up but I noticed the huge pool of blood beneath me and knew it wouldn't be long. The pain was far too intense for me to not have ruptured something. I rolled onto my side and tried not to think.

"Your friends seem to have left you, love." No. No, I was not going to take his help. "Allow me." My vision was blurring when he fed me his blood and I was all too relieved that the pain was subsiding.

"Thank you," I muttered minutes later when my wound was fully healed.

"I take it you really didn't know everything," he said sassily. I shook my head.

"I did," I said. "I knew. And I'm truly sorry."

"You're sorry your life was put in danger too." I nodded.

"I am though," I said. "I'm sorry for the part I played in it. I can see how life would be tough when you had a father like that." He mustered a smile at me then.

"Oh, I don't want your sympathy now that you've been caught." I nodded at him. I noticed he helped me up anyway. "But nonetheless, my father is truly dead now and that means I can finally reunite my family. I think you'll come with me." My eyes widened but I could tell he was seriously taking me. When he took my phone from me and threw it across the room, I knew I was being kidnapped.


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey! I'm sorry for the short chapter but I thought there needed to be a break between this one and the next one. I'll probably get up another chapter really soon. But I hope you enjoy this! As usual, I own nothing but Vivian.**

It was the next day and I felt like I'd been inside this car for hours. Klaus hadn't offered me much in the way of conversation because he'd been trying to get ahold of Rebekah most of the time. Eventually, he was going to break down and ask me where she was. I could see it. His hand was curled around his cellphone and it looked like if his grip tightened at all, it would crack.

I was close to actually being mad. Damon had, unbelievably, left me behind. I understood that he needed to save his own skin but now I was in this position, without a vervaine bracelet. Damon was supposed to be my best friend. Stefan, I could forgive for not saving me. He hadn't been himself in months and if he had any kind of sense, he was crafting a plan now. Damon was more concerned with himself and Elena, as usual.

I glanced over at Klaus again, who was fuming now and swerved his hand on the steering wheel more often than he didn't. He hadn't tied my hands or anything. He didn't even seem to realize I was in the car with him. Every time I moved, to look in the backseat or anything, he didn't even flinch. I'd even rolled down the window one time. All this and he hadn't said a word to me.

I'd been kidnapped like this once before, by Elijah. Damon and Stefan had passed me over, I'd been injured, I'd been saved, and then I'd gone on some wacky road trip. It was exactly the same as the situation I was in right now. But I had liked Elijah, even then. He had been nice, for kidnapping me, and ultimately, saved my life and let me go. I had been no worse for the wear. I couldn't honestly say that I had any clue where this was going. I was scared of Klaus, more so than I had been of Elijah, because he seemed completely unhinged. This guy had _compelled _Stefan to turn off his humanity and had treated people's lives like they were games. He'd killed his own father. He carted his family around in coffins. But he'd also given Katherine the cure for Damon and he'd listened to me when I asked for him not to touch Elena. I'd even seen him cry in the last 24 hours.

"I don't suppose you know where my sister is. She's been petulant ever since I left town." Aha, he'd cracked and asked me. I knew it had only been a matter of time.

"My sister daggered her in the back because she thought Rebekah would complicate the plan with you," I said.

"And you couldn't have told me that earlier?" he demanded.

"You didn't ask." Klaus might've cracked a smile at me then but I had tried not to look him in the eyes.

"Some friends you have in the Salvatore brothers." I didn't respond. I wasn't going to throw either of them under the bus for him to hear. Maybe they had left me but that didn't mean that I was going to buddy up to Klaus. "I take it the plan wasn't your brainchild anyway." I shook my head.

"Rebekah told me about why you'd been running from your father so I'm sorry for the part I played in it," I said, sort of politely. I realized that sassing him because I was mad at Damon was not the best idea. "I'm glad he's dead." Mikael had given me the creeps and although that didn't absolve Klaus (he had killed Jenna, after all), I felt like I better understood where he was coming from.

"And why should I believe you?" I slanted my eyes over at him then and I caught him looking at me out of the corner of his eye. I might be nothing more than a blood bag that turned his hybrids but I interested him.

"Because I saw you were hurt," I said slowly, "and no matter what you've done, no one should have a father who puts them down like that." He turned his head fully to look at me then and I looked back at him. It might've been dangerous to do so, like how looking a dog in the eyes is taken as a challenge but Klaus was no fearsome dog, at least not now.

"Are you hungry?" he asked.

"What?" I responded in disbelief.

"I was wondering if you were hungry," he repeated. "It's easy for me to forget that humans _need_ food when I _want_ it." I nodded slowly.

"Yes," I said. "I'm very hungry." I had been hungry before going to Homecoming last night but I'd been too nervous to eat anything. I was nervous now but I needed to eat. After my close call with death, I probably should.

"That wasn't so hard for you to admit, now was it?"

"I just didn't think you'd offer."

After that, Klaus lapsed back into silence and so did I. We'd be a sight for sore eyes whenever we arrived anywhere. I was still wearing my Homecoming dress that Rebekah had picked out and the back was stained with blood. Never mind that autumn was in full swing so it would just be weird to be seen wearing a strapless dress, it was covered in blood too. Klaus' suit didn't look too clean either, after tousling with Damon and then with his father. He'd probably compel whoever we saw anyway. There was no telling of where we were in the state. Heck, we might even have left Virginia. I had no way of knowing and I didn't plan on asking him.

The car pulled up in front of a pizza place after not too much time had passed. My stomach started to growl at just the thought of food.

"Can I trust you not to do anything stupid?" Klaus asked before either of us got out of the car. I nodded.

"You have my word," I said. "I'll keep with you." I knew he was wondering whether I'd run off at the first sign of civilization. With all due respect, I wasn't that stupid and if he'd known me better, he wouldn't even be wondering.

"Alright then, come on," he said, opening his car door. "I'm quite tight on time."

I slid out of the car carefully and before I'd had the chance to put my feet on the ground, Klaus was hovering by the door. I stood up slowly and my feet wobbled in their heels for a minute. Nothing about the area gave me any hint of where we were. I turned slightly and tried to identify the license plates on other cars. I shivered unknowingly and shut my car door slowly. When I turned back to Klaus, after seeing that the only license plates in sight were from North Carolina, he was holding his suit jacket out to me.

"Ah, don't give me those doe eyes, sweetheart," he said. "You're cold and the back of your dress is covered in blood."

"Thank you," I said, taking it. I shrugged it on before entering the restaurant with him. I had yet to figure Klaus out in any capacity. What was he? A villain? A madman? Some kind of charming rogue? He certainly wasn't Elijah or Rebekah. Actually, maybe he was like Rebekah. He just kept his emotions better hidden than her.

We sat down and ordered and waited in silence until it came. I tried to work things out in my head. Nine out of ten license plates in the parking lot had been from North Carolina. It was safe to say that we were no longer in Virginia. There was no way for me to get in touch with Damon or Elena without alerting Klaus to it and there was no way that I was that stupid. He'd mentioned that he was going to reunite his family which at the very least, meant that Elijah would be awake soon. Hopefully, he'd still consider me a friend and help me out.

"You're a quiet one, aren't you?" Klaus' voice shook me from my thoughts. "There aren't any quick escape routes if that's what you're looking for." I shook my head.

"I'm just trying to figure out where we are," I responded. He smirked.

"I saw you trying to look at license plates so I think you know where we are." I clasped my hands together under the table nervously. I nodded.

"I think so too."

"Well, given your mild manners and sense of morality, I think it's high time that I tell you what we're going to do." I pursed my lips but I nodded, tightening his jacket around me. "Once we reunite my three brothers, which includes Elijah," he said with a grin on his face, "I'll swing back into Mystic Falls and grab my sister. Then you'll accompany us and help me continue to make my hybrids… unless you're having second thoughts on that." He made a face. He was trying to get me to crack and I wasn't going to.

"I made a deal with you. I gave you my word. I won't go back on it."

"Ah, that's why Elijah took to you. You're quiet, like him. You're moral, like him. Let me guess, you're a real woman of family too?" Klaus was starting to make me mad. I knew what he was doing; trying to get a rise out of me because I interested him. He had a temper and he liked to use it but he'd yet to see my feathers get ruffled. Just because I was scared didn't mean I could give in to him.

"Do you really think your family will be pleased to see you?" I asked lowly. I saw him arch an eyebrow at me from across the table. "You daggered them when they said the slightest thing that you disagreed with. Some of them have been locked in coffins longer than Rebekah had been. I don't see them all being as forgiving as she was and now she knows that you killed your mother. Elijah spared you so that he could see his siblings again and you daggered him for it. They may be happy your father is dead but they won't be happy to see you." Before Klaus had the chance to respond, I carried on. "I just think maybe you need to adjust your expectations of the Original family reunion." I could tell by the look on his face that I'd hurt him but he knew I was right.

Before either of us could say anything else, our food arrived and I hesitated long enough for Klaus to nod at me. I figured I might've pissed him off to the point where he wouldn't let me eat but, I rationalized, he still needed my blood to successfully change over hybrids.

I decided I wouldn't let it bother me and I began to scarf down my pizza. I noticed Klaus wasn't eating anything though so I stopped midway through a piece and looked at him. His feminine lips weren't locked in a smile anymore and his eyes seemed to have lost that sort of mischievous glow they'd had before. He looked almost like a puppy dog or something. Oh no, I was not going to feel sorry for him again. No. But his eyes met mine and I felt the hardness I had towards him diminish a little. Just a little.

"I'm sorry," I said before I thought against it. "What I said was uncalled for and I'm terribly sorry." Klaus hadn't thought his plan through. He thought just undaggering his brothers and Rebekah would be enough to ensure their love for him. He didn't realize they wouldn't be happy that he'd done it in the first place.

"But you are right," he responded. "I was naïve." I nodded at him.

"If there's anything I have experience in, it's that." I was being naïve right now by feeling bad for Klaus.

"By all means, continue eating," he said. "You're acting like you haven't had a meal in days." I took his permission and ran with it.

"I was really nervous yesterday so I barely ate," I said through bite fulls. "About seeing you again. I was nervous about seeing you again."

"Why is that?" he asked. He was loosening up a bit, which might be a good sign.

"Do you really not know?" I responded.

"So I scare you but Elijah doesn't?" Elijah was cold and calculated but even with that, I knew I could trust him. He was smart and he acted based on legitimate intelligence. Klaus, I knew operated on emotion.

"He doesn't anymore. I got to know him… slightly."

"And we know nothing about each other, is that it?" I nodded. Sure, that was it. "If we're going to work together, then we should move past that, hmm?" I nodded again. Klaus started thinking, almost as if he was trying to edit himself. He was trying to figure out what parts of his life were appropriate to tell me.

"Where's your favorite place that you've ever lived?" I asked. He furrowed his brow.

"New Orleans," he responded, skeptically. I thought it might be easier if I asked the questions. Then he had less time to edit and he responded on instinct. I could almost trick him into being honest.

"I've always wanted to go there," I said. "Why is it your favorite?"

"My family and I helped build it," he said. "It's kept much of the charm it had to begin with."

"You helped _build_ it?" I asked in disbelief. He nodded, like he was proud. "That's incredible."

"What about you?" he asked, like I'd been somewhere other than Mystic Falls. I gave him a nervous laugh.

"I've never exactly lived anywhere other than Mystic Falls." Maybe the lake house but did that really qualify? It was barely in another city.

"Well, you can travel anywhere when you put your mind to it, love." He was smiling now and I found myself smiling back.

"Do you have any hobbies?" Truthfully, Klaus didn't seem all bad. I still didn't feel like I could trust him but for a long time, I hadn't trusted Damon either.

"A few," he replied. "Do you?"

"Yes, a few. But you didn't really answer my question. What are they?" He shrugged a bit.

"They're not worth noting," Klaus responded, almost bashfully.

"Well, I'm sure they are."

"I draw and I paint," he said. I nodded.

"I certainly think that's worth noting!" I said. I'd never met anyone other than Jeremy and Tyler who were truly artistic. "My brother draws and he's rather good."

"But you don't," he said. I shook my head.

"I can bake," I said. "I can't really cook but I can bake." Jenna had always insisted I make the desserts and I felt a pang when I remembered her death. The man in front of me had killed her and snapped my neck in the process, not knowing I had on my ring. I tried to harden back up. This wasn't a fun go-out-with-a-friend-for-lunch thing, I had been kidnapped.

But the hardening up didn't ever fully complete. I kept on having a conversation with Klaus until we left the restaurant. He told me stuff about living in Italy in the 1100s and he vaguely mentioned knowing Katherine once we were back in the car. She had been a means to an end for him, not the way she'd been for Elijah. But I think, at the end of the day, Klaus was enjoying having someone to talk to.

When we pulled up in front of an outdoor storage unit organization, I started getting nervous. The whole time this hadn't really sunk in. I got out of the car and kept Klaus' suit jacket wrapped around me. He didn't bother gripping my arm and pulling me forward like he had at the high school. He just made sure I was following for him.

When we arrived in front of a specific storage unit, I think I started sweating. He had put his family in coffins and then put them in a storage unit. Klaus was crazy, that much was certain.

Klaus' phone started ringing and when he answered it, I had to admit I was shocked at who was calling. "Stefan," he said, "calling to thank me for your newfound freedom?" I started forward and I almost yanked the phone out of his hand but then I thought better of it. Stefan had a plan and I needed to have a little faith.

Whatever Stefan said didn't please Klaus and I watched as he threw up the door to the storage unit. There was nothing inside. Oh, my God, Stefan had taken them. "I will kill you and everyone you've ever met!" exclaimed Klaus with his back to me. This time, I heard what Stefan had to say.

"If you do that and if you so much as lay a hand on Vivian, you'll never see your family again." Silently, I was grateful.

But when Klaus hung up his phone, he turned to me. "You were distracting me so that he could do this!" he yelled. "That's why they left you behind!" I shook my head and started backing away with my hands in the air.

"No, you know that's not right," I said. "I couldn't do that!"

"I should have known that that's why you didn't put up a fight! Well, you'll pay now."

"I've been with you ever since Stefan got his freedom back! How was I supposed to know what he would do? Please, I didn't sabotage you! I would never do something like that." He seemed to consider what I was saying for a moment and he nodded.

This time when we left, he manhandled me all the way back to the car.


	14. Chapter 14

**I got one of the sweetest reviews ever from someone named Jessi who wasn't signed in. I just want to make a special point to say thank you so much and I hope that I never disappoint you. Please keep on reviewing! Haha, hopefully I'll update the next chapter soon. My favorite episode of the season is coming (the one with the Originals ball) so I can hardly wait. I hope you enjoy it! As usual, I own nothing but Vivian.**

I slowly took off my ring while I was pacing on my porch. I was back in Mystic Falls after a long journey home with Klaus, where he'd left me up the street from my house before zooming off again. I was trying to think of the best way to explain the situation to everyone. Klaus was going to try to kill someone so we should be prepared? It wouldn't be that shocking but how could we possibly become prepared for that? There were two people who were the least safe; Elena and Jeremy. Klaus had all but told me that he only needed one person to turn his hybrids and he chose me, whether because he suspected my involvement even after I'd denied it or because he could drain me to the point of death and I would come back. But Jeremy… Jeremy was all about me.

"Oh, who should I kill first?" Klaus had mused on the ride home. I'd kept my mouth shut. "Your little witch friend, Bonnie? Oh no, she'd be too obvious. I've tried that before. Your adoptive guardian, Alaric?" I'd slanted my eyes at him then and he'd grinned. "Okay, there's a possibility. Your human friend, Matt? Hmm, that's too boring. How about one of your siblings?"

"No!" I'd said, finally breaking. "If you want to believe I had something to do with Stefan, then take it out on me!" But then, Klaus had smiled.

"Elena would hurt you and Stefan both." I shook my head.

"I am begging you. I will do anything you want. Don't touch them."

"Just out of curiosity, what would upset you more? Losing your twin or your baby brother?" I felt a catch in my throat that might've been me choking up.

"Please, no. They're my family. They're the only family I have left."

"It's your brother," he said. "Jeremy would hurt you the most." He had been right. In family, you weren't supposed to pick favorites but Jeremy and I had always looked out for each other. Elena was my twin and we were connected in a way most sisters weren't but the way I cared for Jeremy was unfathomable. It would've been easy for a master manipulator like Klaus to pick up on.

I shook myself from the memory and opened the door to the house. "Jeremy!" I called. "Elena! Ric!" The house was seemingly empty but then I saw Jeremy in the kitchen and I felt my eyes well up with tears.

"Vivian!" he exclaimed, running down the hallway towards me. "We've been worried sick." He engulfed me in a hug and I tried to keep myself from sobbing. "What happened? Are you okay?" He pulled away from me and I grabbed his hand, putting the ring in it.

"Wear it," I said. "Please wear it."

"What's going on?" Jeremy asked. He tried pushing the ring back towards me but I shook my head.

"Klaus took me," I said. "Stefan stole his family and now he's promising vengeance. He thinks I was involved and I think… I think he will try to kill you or Elena. I begged and I begged him, Jeremy. He's set. Please wear it." Jeremy seemed to be taking in the information slowly.

"I could kill Damon for leaving you behind. Did he hurt you?" I shook my head. "Did he try?" I shook my head again.

"I'm okay, I'm just worried about you." Jeremy hugged me again and I felt safer than I had in days.

"Okay, I'll wear it but the minute we are sure everything is alright, I'm giving it back to you." I nodded into his shoulder but I didn't know when that day would come.

I finally changed out of my bloodstained dress and tiring heels. I thought about burning the jacket Klaus had given me but that would've been petty and besides, it had been a nice gesture at the time. When I'd tried to give it back to him, he'd refused to take it.

Thirty minutes later, I arrived at the Salvatore house after Jeremy told me that Elena was there. I didn't want to face Damon, not right now, but I had to. I was still steaming over him leaving me behind. At least Stefan had ultimately had a plan. I knocked on the door and when Damon pulled it open, his face went from a look of annoyance to absolute guilt. I had no time to say anything before he was pulling me into the house and hugging me. Damon had never been one for hugging, except occasionally, so this ultimately let me know that he felt bad about leaving me behind.

"I'm sorry, Vivian," he said. "I've looked high and low for you but I figured you were with Stefan. Where is he?" I pulled away, baffled.

"Stefan isn't _here?" _I responded. I was cut off when Elena turned down the hallway and rushed towards me.

"Are you okay?" she demanded after hugging me. I nodded.

"Where the hell is your ring?" asked Damon. Elena dropped her hands from my arms and studied my hands quickly.

"I gave it to Jeremy," I said. "I think he needs it more right now."

"If you weren't with Stefan, where were you?" asked Damon.

"With Klaus. He gave me his blood when you left me behind and intended on taking me to reunite his family. I could've been gone forever." Damon seemed to be thinking of all of the options and was trying to hide his guilt.

"How did you escape? Did he hurt you?" asked Elena. I shook my head.

"He let me go after Stefan stole the coffins with all his family members in them. I figured he'd told you about the plan?" Damon shook his head, almost confused.

"Stefan isn't on anyone's side right now but his own," he responded. "That's why I thought he might've taken you. He's hellbent on some kind of revenge, which I get, but he's doing it at the risk of everyone else getting killed." I nodded.

"You're right. Klaus is threatening to kill off people one-by-one until he gets them back because he thinks I was in on it too," I said. "I'll go with him and keep him away from town, if Stefan will just give back the coffins." I hadn't admitted to myself that that's what I would do until I'd actually said it but I should've known there'd be opposition.

Damon shook his head. "You're not part of any deal. He's made enough hybrids to be his eternal friends. You should be off scot-free."

"Even with the fact that Rebekah likes you and so does Elijah, that's not enough to guarantee your safety," said Elena. "You're only doing this to save me some grief." I shook my head.

"Klaus threatened Jeremy and you both," I said. "If he doesn't get the coffins, someone is dying." I was almost pleading with them now.

"I'll figure out Stefan," said Damon, "but there is no way in hell, I'm giving you the go ahead to become Klaus' newest pet."

Days passed uneventfully for the next week. I hadn't seen Jeremy for more than a minute since I'd come home and Damon was trying to make things up to me without ever outright apologizing. Alaric, Damon, Elena, and I went to the Grill one day, me and Damon to blow off steam, Alaric to somehow intercept Jeremy between shifts, Elena to hang out with Bonnie. I walked up the bar where Alaric and Damon were sitting and noticed that Alaric was grading papers.

"Come on, Ric," I heard Damon saying, "I can't drink all this by myself. I mean, I can but then, somebody's getting naked. It's the dawn of the Klauspocalypse. The least you can do is get a little drunk."

"It may have passed your notice but I have more important things to be doing," responded Ric. "I am not here to hang out with you."

"Any luck on Jeremy?" I asked. Ric shook his head.

"We just heard he got fired last week." I rumpled my brow.

"And he didn't tell anyone?" I couldn't wrap my mind around it. Jeremy had always gotten into trouble but he'd been doing so well… that is, until Bonnie dumped him.

"Look at this," said Ric, pulling out a paper of Jeremy's that was graded an F. "This was his midterm paper. He copied it straight off the internet and didn't even try to hide it."

"Somebody's getting grounded!" said Damon. I rolled my eyes. "Let's play some darts, Viv! You need to loosen up."

"I need to loosen up?" I questioned, following him anyway.

"How long are you gonna guilt-trip me with your doe eyes and your pouty lips? The puppy dog look does not work on me." I tried not to take offense at that.

"Well, my own best friend left me dying in a pool of my own blood, how would you feel?" He pursed his lips.

"I know. I'm really… I'm sorry, okay? I thought 'flight' might be better than 'fight' in that scenario and I'm sorry." I could tell that he was. He looked as though he'd been beating himself up over it this entire time and weirdly enough, I felt guilty for hounding him about it.

"I forgive you, it's just hard." He nodded.

"Did Mikael really stab you without you wearing the ring?" I'd told Elena that the day I came home and had deliberately never told Damon. He took this kind of thing really seriously. I think he enjoyed protecting me.

"Yes, so I'm glad he's dead. He took off my vervaine bracelet and compelled me to give him my ring. Gosh, he was a monster. We were trying to work with him and he completely took advantage of it."

"He wanted Klaus dead more than I did and that's saying something," said Damon. I unconsciously made a face when I thought about that. How could you even try to be a normal person when your father wanted you dead and had hunted you down? "What's that look? Don't tell me you felt sorry for him!"

"I didn't want to but you didn't see it, Damon, the sort of stuff his father said to him. It wasn't right."

"My own father was a dick to me before Stefan and I ever turned. I'm not a maniacal killer who puts his own family into coffins!"

"You're right, of course, you're right." Stefan and Damon had put up with a lot from their father, Stefan after turning, Damon before. While they may never have sealed each other in coffins for easier travel, they both had issues. Stefan was a ripper and when Damon had come to town, I think he'd had his emotions switched off. He'd been killing for fun. "I'm just… I don't know. But are you doing okay? With all this Stefan stuff?"

"Are you saying I look like I'm not okay?" Damon threw a dart and it hit the bullseye. He winked and handed me one.

"Well, you're day drunk." I threw my dart and it barely made it on the board, let alone near the center.

"I'm hard-pressed to think of a time when I'm _not _drunk." Damon threw another one and handed me my next dart.

"I'd say that's a problem." Before I could throw, I was interrupted.

"Don't mind me." Klaus. The dart dropped out of my hand and I spun on my heel. Before I knew it, Damon was in front of me.

"You're gonna do this here?" asked Damon. "In the Grill? Isn't that a little beneath you?" I moved from behind Damon but he just moved in front of me again. I glanced over at Elena who was clutching the edge of her booth.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Klaus responded. I backed up when Damon put his against me protectively. I gripped his forearm with both of my hands. "I just came down to my local pub to grab a drink with a mate." I looked around Damon's arm and saw what could only be one of Klaus' hybrids standing near him. "Get a round then, would you, Tony?" Elena seemed to show some recognition at this guy and I openly shuddered. "What happened to your ring, Vivian?" I cut my eyes over at him.

"Whatever," said Damon. "I'm surprised you've stuck around town long enough to make it to happy hour."

"My sister seems to be missing. I need to sort that out. Vivian, here, was kind enough to tell me that she's still in Mystic Falls."

"Cute? Blonde bombshell? Psycho? She shouldn't be that hard to find."

"I'm guessing she's at your house, am I right?" Damon pushed me back again and I let go of his arm when he moved away from me. "Truth is, I've grown to rather like your little town. Thinking I might fancy a home here." Oh no, please no. "I imagine you're wondering how this affects you and the answer is, not in the slightest. As long as I get what I want and everyone behaves themselves, you can go on living your little lives however you choose." He was circling us now and I tried to calm myself down. He's trying to scare us into telling him where Stefan was. We didn't know so he'd have to leave us alone, right? "You have my word." I turned when Klaus was standing right beside us. Damon didn't move and neither did I. He was staring at me, like he was personally making me a promise. I nodded.

"What else do you want?" I asked.

"Right," said Damon. "What else could you possibly want?"

"Well, for starters, you could tell me where to find Stefan."

"Stefan skipped town the second he saved your ass."

"Well, you see, that is a shame." He took the dart I'd dropped and threw it, bullseyeing it the same way Damon had. "Your brother stole from me. I need him found so I can take back what's mine."

"That sounds like a Klaus and Stefan problem, not a Vivian and Damon one." Klaus smiled.

"Well, I'm broadening the scope."

"Yeah, well, we're leaving. Feel free to complain to your lackeys." Damon grabbed my arm and tugged me over to Elena. The two of us headed home, which was the safest place to be.

Alaric, Elena, and I were preparing dinner while waiting for Jeremy to imminently come home. "Vampires, hybrids, and witches, no problem!" said Elena. "My rebellious younger brother? I'm worried."

"Proof that you're still human!" said Alaric.

"He may have a good explanation for this," I said. Both Elena and Alaric gave me a look. They were right. What kind of an excuse could he possibly have? Just then, Jeremy strode into the house. "You're just in time! We're making dinner!"

"Oh, I'm just passing through but you're welcome to come with, Viv," he said, walking to the refrigerator. Elena and I exchanged a look. Why was he inviting me?

"Well, I thought we'd stay in tonight," said Ric. "Have a meal together like a typical atypical family."

"Why?" asked Jeremy.

"Maybe because you got fired and you didn't tell anybody," said Elena.

"Look, can we do this later? I made plans with Tyler. He's right outside." Ric raised his eyebrows. Elena would not be happy about this.

"When did you start hanging out with Tyler?" I asked. "I thought you guys hated each other." And again, why did he invite me? Tyler and I had never moved in the same circles.

"I don't know. Does it matter?"

"Yeah, Jeremy, it matters," said Elena. "He was sired by Klaus. He's dangerous." There it was. It all clicked. Hybrids had been stalking Elena and not surprisingly, he had one on my tail too. That's why Jeremy and Tyler had been hanging out. Klaus hadn't been lying when he'd mentioned Jeremy to me.

"He can still hear you. He's right outside. Besides, you of all people are gonna lecture me on who I can and can't hang out with?"

"Jeremy," I said, shaking my head. I didn't want him to press things with her. Elena had been taking a lot of things hard lately. She didn't need his judgment.

"What is with the attitude?" asked Elena.

"Whatever, this is lame. Tyler's waiting. Are you coming, Vivian?" He turned to leave and I shook my head before pausing. Something about this wasn't right. Jeremy hadn't acted this way towards us since he'd been involved with Vicki Donovan, which was the entire reason he hated Tyler. Something had happened to him.

"Oh no, you're not going anywhere," said Elena. "Especially not with Tyler." Jeremy turned to look at Ric, who shrugged.

"I'm with her on this, Jer. Sorry," he said. Jeremy turned to me then and I only shook my head. There was just something about my baby brother that could make me crack.

"I don't know," I said. "I just-" Jeremy grinned like he'd come up with some brilliant plan.

"Fine, you want me to stay in, let's all stay in. Yo, Tyler, come on in!" he said. It felt like my heart stopped.

"Jeremy, no!" said Elena. But the door was already open and Tyler was already inside.

Minutes later, still in an awkward silence, Tyler sat down beside me at the dining room table. "This is just weird," said Elena. I nodded. I was trying to figure out what was going on. Tyler had probably been told to hang out with Jeremy but I bet he didn't really know that. Still, what was going on? A friendship between the two of them wouldn't be the worst thing to come of this.

"Look, maybe I should go," said Tyler.

"Nah, stay," said Jeremy. "We're not doing anything."

"Unless you have to check in with your hybrid master," said Elena. I shook my head at her.

"It's not like that, Elena," said Tyler, with a laugh.

"Tell me, Tyler," said Alaric, sitting down, "what is the difference between being sired and being compelled?"

"Compulsion… That's just mind control, like hypnosis. Being sired is like faith. You do something because you believe it's the right thing."

"So you believe that serving Klaus is the right thing?" asked Elena.

"I don't serve him," Tyler responded, almost confused at the accusation. "Klaus released me from a curse that was ruining my life. I owe him for that."

"What if he asked you to jump off a bridge?" asked Ric.

"He wouldn't and even if he did, I'd be fine. I'm a hybrid."

"Okay, so what if he asked you to rip your own heart out?" questioned Elena.

"Again, he wouldn't."

"What if he did?"

"I don't know! Then I'd rip my own heart out!" My eyes widened and I scooted my chair a little away from Tyler. "You guys sound like Caroline, getting all freaked out over something you don't understand."

"You're right, Tyler," I said calmly. "We don't understand. We don't get how you can be loyal to someone who has hurt everyone we know. He killed your friend, Jules. You would have died just for him to make a point if my blood hadn't saved you."

"You're overthinking it," he responded. "I can still make my own decisions." Jeremy's phone rang and he got up. The rest of us focused in on Tyler. I wasn't so sure he could make his own decisions.

"What was that about?" asked Elena when Jeremy hung up the phone.

"Nothing," he responded.

"Look, I've gotta go," said Tyler. "Um, thanks for the food offer."

"Till next time," said Ric. He got up to leave and I saw Jeremy follow him. "Well, that was illuminating." Ric went into the kitchen with Elena and I started gathering plates.

"So Tyler Lockwood is a lunatic who has access to our house," said Elena. "I mean, this whole sire bond thing is wild."

"I don't think Tyler's even aware of what little reason is behind what he's saying."

When I reached Jeremy's place at the table, I dropped the plates onto the floor. My ring was sitting on the placemat. He'd taken off the ring. Why? I grabbed it and put it on. "Jeremy!" I called. "Jeremy took off his ring!" Ric walked with Elena and I to the front of the house and opened the door. I caught sight of Jeremy standing in the middle of the road and that's when it hit me; he'd been compelled. "Oh, my God!" I took off the minute I heard a car engine.

"Vivian, no!" Ric was fast behind me. An SUV swerved down our street going at least 80 mph.

"Jeremy, move!" I hit him with a force I didn't know I had and when I felt another push against my back, I knew it was Alaric. Jeremy and I hit the ground but I heard the sound of a crash and tires squealing. They'd gotten Ric. "Ric!" I screamed. "Ric!" I turned back and Alaric looked bad off. I knew it had been a hybrid driving so I breathed a sigh of relief and clutched Jeremy to me. "Who was that on the phone?" I put my hands to his face and he didn't seem to understand my question.

"Klaus," he muttered back. "It was Klaus." I nodded and hugged him to me to keep myself from shaking.

Jeremy, Elena, and I pulled Alaric inside and it was all I could do to keep it together. I called Damon and got him to come over. Damon didn't seem shocked by any of these events, other than Jeremy not wearing vervaine. "Where's your bracelet?" he asked.

"I don't know," he said, staring at his wrist.

"It was Tyler," said Elena. "It had to have been. That's why he was hanging out with you; to get you off the vervaine." She was right. Tyler might not even have been aware of it.

"Klaus is trying to send us a message," said Damon. "He wants us to find Stefan so all we have to do is find four coffins and voila, no one else on the family Christmas list needs to die."

"Wait, that's your big plan?" said Jeremy. "To steal back four dead Originals so this evil hybrid doesn't kill me and everyone else we know?"

"You got a better idea?"

"Yeah, let's get the hell out of here! Pack our bags and go!"

"Jeremy, calm down," said Elena.

"No, I'm not gonna calm down, Elena! This happens every time no matter what we do. I mean, you get on my case about school and work, who cares? Vivian is being used as a human blood bag, you were sacrificed in a ritual a few months ago. None of us are gonna make it out of this town alive." He ran off upstairs and I felt myself contemplating his idea. But Elena moved back.

"Klaus wants his family back," she said.

"No," said Damon. "I know what you're thinking. The answer's no."

"If we give him Rebekah-"

"No. He'd undagger her and the first thing she'd do is kill you. Frying pan, fire. Not an option."

"Well, where would Stefan hide the others?" I said. "It can't be easy disguising four huge coffins."

"Wait, four coffins," said Elena. "Bonnie's been having these nightmares, like witchy nightmares. There was a coffin with Klaus inside."

"Call her," I said.

Damon and Elena went to find Stefan because Bonnie knew where he was and I stayed with Ric. Hours after the wreck, Alaric woke up. "Whoa," I said, when he got up off the couch. "You don't look so good."

"I died today, Viv. How would you look?" he responded. "Are you okay? How's Jeremy?"

"Jeremy's fine… a little mad but fine. I think I sprained my wrist but that's it." He nodded.

"Betcha he won't be hanging with Tyler Lockwood again so soon." But then Ric hunched over and started coughing. I gasped when I saw blood in his hands and then he crumpled to the floor. "The ring," he gasped. I scrambled for the phone and called 911. I couldn't help myself. I started crying. When the paramedics arrived, I barely opened the door.

"He was hit by a car and then he started coughing up blood and now he's… he's-" I said.

"Looks like internal bleeding," said one of them. I nodded and tried to wipe the tears off my face. "Let's move."

"Can I ride with you?" I choked out. "He's my… He's my family." They nodded.

"Stop right there." I turned when I heard a voice near me on the porch. It was the hybrid who'd been at the Grill. "Why don't you two meet us at the hospital?"

"No," I said. "No, wait!" The paramedics packed up their stuff and seemed to move to leave. This wasn't happening. "No, please! He could be dying!"

"You can still save his life," said the hybrid. "You could give him my blood. The problem is, I can't get in." I sucked in my breath and started shaking. What was I supposed to do? He'd only kill me and Alaric over again. But Alaric needed help. I just… I couldn't get him out of my head. "It's either invite me in… or invite in Klaus."

"Why are you doing this?" I asked.

"Klaus asked for his family back. You didn't deliver." I shook my head. "He'll die." Just then, something shot him. I flinched. He fell to the ground revealing Jeremy with a crossbow.

"He's not dead yet," said Jeremy. "Get me one of the knives." I nodded in shock and retrieved one. When I handed it to him, he brought the cleaver down on the back of the hybrid's neck and I screamed, turning away. "Now he's dead."

"Alaric," I choked out. "Alaric needs to go to the hospital. The ring… it didn't… There's something wrong." Jeremy moved past me in a daze. "Can you- Can you take care of this? There's something I need to do."

I called Damon and relayed some of what had happened to him while I drove to the Salvatore house. "I'm going to give Klaus Rebekah," I said. "Do you have a way I can reach him?"

"You can't be serious!" Damon screeched on the end of the line.

"It was either Jeremy or Alaric today and we got lucky. If we give him her, he could take Jeremy or Alaric off the table."

"Fine," he responded, though not the least bit happy.

Still shaken up, I called the number Damon gave me and waited. When he picked up, I didn't give him time to say anything. "It's Vivian Gilbert. Can you come to the Salvatore house? I have something for you."

"Vivian Gilbert, oh my, this is a surprise," he responded. "I'll be there." I was angry but I wasn't angry enough to be stupid. When Klaus arrived at the Salvatore house, I tried to keep it together. I wiped my eyes one last time when I saw him walk up to the house. He brushed past me without so much as a word. "I trust there is news of Stefan." I shook my head when he looked at me. "Have you been crying?"

"Maybe," I responded. "But no, I haven't found Stefan. I want to give you Rebekah."

"Take me to her," he said, this time a little more solemnly than before. I let him follow me down into the Salvatores' cellar and when I pushed on the door to their vervaine room, Klaus helped me. He brushed past me again and knelt by Rebekah's body. I turned and wiped my eyes again. Was it that obvious I'd been crying? "My poor sister. I can't turn my back on her for a moment. Younger siblings, how hard they are to control." He looked over at me and I pinched my lips together.

"Since you have her, will you promise not to touch Jeremy or Elena or Alaric?"

"One for three? That doesn't sound like a fair trade."

"I know," I said. "I just…"

"Consider them spared," he said.

"Thank you." He half-smiled.

"Take it as a reason to stop crying. It's not exactly your best look." I felt myself smile, despite telling myself that I shouldn't.


	15. Chapter 15

**Sorry for the short chapter! I was trying to update before my exams start this coming week. I just want to thank ya'll for all the new follows and reviews. I really appreciate it because I love this fic so much. Oh and Jessi097, I sent you a message. I know you're new to the site so I thought I'd tell you! Thanks again everyone and please keep reviewing! As usual, I only own Vivian.**

When I got home, Damon had compelled Jeremy to leave town and had also, evidently, kissed Elena. I was angry and I believed that I was rational in being angry. Everyone had agreed to this, even Alaric, without asking for my opinion. But then again, my opinion on the matter was plain. I wasn't in on the supernatural world when Jeremy had been compelled the first time, after Vicki, but I knew it hadn't gone well. He'd been pissed and rightfully so. Compulsion was mind control and if Jeremy didn't want to do something, I don't think he should've had the extra persuasion.

"It's better for him to be angry at everyone than dead, Viv," Damon had told me. And maybe he was right. Sometimes Damon was really right.

It didn't change the fact that I didn't think it was fair though. I know Bonnie was angry too. She threatened to tell him that he had been compelled and for a moment, I was totally behind that. But I couldn't deny that Elena, Alaric, and Damon had had their reasons.

I decided to get my mind off of everything with Jeremy since he wouldn't be leaving for a couple of days. It was Caroline's birthday and when she decided to skip school, we all went to her house to celebrate with her. I noticed Tyler wasn't with her when she walked in her house and I found that strange, regardless of his sire bond. She didn't look like her normal, chipper self. Maybe this trip to the falls was exactly what she needed.

"Change into warmer clothes!" said Bonnie. "Smores, a campfire. We're gonna have fun!" Matt had on a birthday tiara and looked absolutely ridiculous but he was laughing and for some reason, that helped loosen me up too. My purple tiara matched my coat and I felt like it was a sign that the day might go normally.

"I baked you a cake!" I said when Caroline looked hesitant about going.

"It'll be like when we were little," said Elena.

"Except with tequila!" said Matt.

"I'm just not really feeling my birthday this year," Caroline responded. "Thanks, really."

"I'm sorry, what?" said Bonnie. "You've already claimed your birthday as everyone's favorite day of the year."

"Yeah and now it's just a reminder that technically I'm dead. Look, I didn't even like 17. You know, the only point to 17 was to get to 18. It's a filler year. I am stuck in a filler year."

"You are not stuck, Caroline," I said.

"Yeah, I am and it's fine. It's all good. I will be fine but I just need some time to wallow in it."

"Well, okay. I think I have another idea," said Elena.

I admit that I thought the idea might be a little nicer than going to sit in a mausoleum in the Mystic Falls graveyard, which had always given me the creeps. The stoners were the only ones who actually wanted to hang out in a graveyard, especially a graveyard at night. "I'm really not a fan of this," I said, clutching my cake carrier with an iron grip.

"You've always been a little skittish," said Matt, laughing. I wondered if he'd started the drinking early.

"You're telling me that I'm the only one who thinks this is creepy?"

"Oh, yeah, this is creepy," said Bonnie, "even for us."

"Well, Caroline is right," said Elena when we walked into the mausoleum. I gave her my cake so that she could start putting the candles in it. "Technically, she's dead. Sorry. But you don't need a birthday. You need a funeral. You need to say goodbye to your old life so that you can move on with your new one." Huh, that was innovative and apparently, Caroline was into the idea.

"Okay," she said. "Here lies Caroline Forbes."

"Cheerleader, Miss Mystic Falls, third grade hopscotch champion," said Elena.

"Friend, daughter," I listed.

"Overachiever," said Bonnie as Caroline laughed.

"Mean girl, sometimes," said Matt. "No offense."

"None taken," responded Caroline.

"She was 17 and she had a really good life," said Elena, lighting candles. "So rest in peace so that you can move forward." Elena brought out my cake and I felt a sliver of pride when I saw it. It was one of the best I'd ever done and I'd decorated it with roses. "That's what you really need. It's what we all really need. Amen or cheers or whatever. I just want a piece of this cake." I laughed.

Caroline blew out the candles and made a wish.

I was impressed with how well my cake turned out and I devoured a piece of it. Matt handed me the tequila and I shook my head. "I'm not a big drinker," I said.

"You are the only one we have yet to see drunk," he responded.

"I haven't seen myself drunk so that makes two of us."

"Caroline, what are you doing?" Bonnie asked. I turned and looked at her. She was checking her phone. The only person not here was Tyler.

"I might have texted Tyler," she said. Just as I suspected.

"Caroline," said Elena like she disapproved. I wanted to roll my eyes.

"What? I'm delicate."

"Give her a break," I said. "She and Tyler have been together a while. It's not like it would be easy for her to just forget him."

"You can't control what everyone does all of the time," said Bonnie. I almost gasped. She wasn't going there right now, was she?

"Wow," said Elena.

"Ouch," said Matt.

"She's right," I threw in.

"Sorry. I know it's Caroline's birthday or funeral or whatever," said Bonnie. "I just feel it's really wrong that you compelled Jeremy to leave town."

"I agree," I said.

"I'm doing it to protect him," said Elena. "I wanna give him a shot at a halfway normal life."

"He should be able to choose how he wants to live it," said Bonnie. "You're taking his choices away."

"Bonnie, you can't tell him."

"Why? Are you gonna compel me not to?"

"You know, you guys are ruining a perfectly good funeral," said Matt. He was right. If anything, this should be distracting everyone from the Jeremy problem.

"I'm sorry," said Bonnie with a sigh. "I'm just gonna go sleep it off or something." She turned and wished Caroline a happy birthday and left. Bonnie was stark in her opinions on things and she couldn't change them, no matter what.

It wasn't long after she left that the doors to the mausoleum opened again. I turned, expecting Bonnie back but instead, I saw Tyler. He mustered up a smile so I smiled back. He was trying so he deserved some credit. "Sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to crash the party."

"So don't," said Matt.

"No, it's okay," said Caroline.

"Can I talk to you for a sec? It's kind of important," said Tyler. Caroline contemplated saying no but ultimately gave in. She nodded and walked outside with him.

"I think he's trying to do better," I said. Jeremy had mentioned that Tyler had had no idea what would happen to him and I believed him. He may be acting irrationally but he didn't really know that.

"Well, I just want Caroline to be happy," said Matt. "That's what I want for all you guys in the middle of this crazy life you're stuck living."

"Is that how you see it?" said Elena. "That we're stuck?"

"Um, I'm going to check up on Tyler and Caroline to make sure they aren't fighting in the middle of the woods," I said. I didn't want to be privy to the odd conversation that Matt and Elena were about to get into.

When I got outside, I heard Caroline yelling, "Get away from me!" I took off in her direction. Things couldn't have gone that badly with Tyler, could they? When I found her, he'd taken off… and she was in bad shape. "Oh, my God, are you okay?" I asked. She shook her head so that her hair moved away from her neck and I gasped. "He bit you. Oh, my God."

I helped Caroline to her feet and scrambled to help her get to the car. I could call Elena later about this. Caroline just needed to be home. When I arrived in front of her house, Matt had been the only one to answer his phone. "Sheriff Forbes," I yelled as I knocked on their door. "Caroline's been bitten!"

I stood by when Sheriff Forbes helped Caroline to her room. Caroline was sobbing and hallucinating. It was exactly the way it had been when Damon had been bitten. She was going to die. I shuddered openly.

"What happened, Vivian?" Sheriff Forbes asked me. I shook my head.

"Tyler… Tyler bit her. I don't know," I responded.

I tried calling Elena multiple times and Bonnie but neither of them picked up and I couldn't figure out what was wrong. I paced after helping Sheriff Forbes get some wet cloths for Caroline's head. She was sweating now and the bite was only growing worse. There was no one who I could call because the only thing that could save her would be Klaus' blood.

Just like I had ESP, there was a knock on the door. I turned my head and my heart started pounding. This was a miracle. A straight up, true blue miracle.

Klaus was standing on the other side of the door with his hands linked behind his back. He smiled when I opened the door. I was shaking from pure joy. Please let this have all been a mistake and he was here to right it.

"Tyler just came to me," said Klaus. "Poor boy seemed quite distressed."

"He bit- He bit Caroline," I responded. "She's dying. Can you help me? I mean her. Can you help her?" Klaus' mouth turned up in a smile and he nodded.

"My blood will heal her. Please ask the sheriff to invite me inside." I nodded.

"Sheriff Forbes," I began. When I turned, she was already there.

"No," she said. "I know how this game works." She gave me a look like she was disappointed; disappointed I'd given into Klaus's charms so fast, that I would have let him inside my own house in a heartbeat. She was right. I was naïve. "You want something in return." Klaus only shook his head before cutting his eyes over to me.

"Just your support," he said.

Sheriff Forbes sighed, frustrated, and said, "Come in." Klaus walked by me and brushed against my shoulder.

The sheriff left me as she went to get some more towels for Caroline and cautiously, I moved to wait outside of Caroline's bedroom door. "Are you here to kill me?" I heard her ask.

"On your birthday?" asked Klaus. "Do you really think that low of me?"

"Yes," she responded.

"You're what's known as collateral damage. It's nothing personal," he said. He had made Tyler do this? Of course. Of course, Stefan had done something to make Klaus strike out. "I do love birthdays."

"Yeah… aren't you like a billion or something?"

"You have to adjust your perception of time when you become a vampire, Caroline. Celebrate the fact that you're no longer bound by trivial human conventions. You're free." I moved forward and stood by the door post. Was he actually being nice to her?

"No," she said. "I'm dying."

"I can let you die if that's what you want," he said. I leaned against the door post and almost felt like entering the room. Klaus seemed to sense I was eavesdropping and he turned to look at me. "But Vivian here doesn't seem to be giving either of us a choice." I smiled. "But if you really feel your existence has no meaning, I could let you die. I've thought about it myself, once or twice over the centuries, truth be told." I furrowed my brow. This was a weird scene to behold. "But I'll let you in on a little secret. There's a whole world out there waiting for you." His eyes cut back at me fast and it made me feel strange. Was he talking to me? "Great cities and art and music. Genuine beauty." Klaus looked back at me again and I felt my heart jump. "You can have all of it. You could have a thousand more birthdays. All you have to do is ask."

"I don't want to die," Caroline choked out. I gulped when Klaus gave her his wrist. I turned when I heard her teeth tear into his flesh.

I felt a hand press against my back and I flinched. I turned and I saw it was Klaus. He nodded at me so I went over to Caroline. She was already looking better and I took her hand. "Hey, look at that!" I said. "You're okay." She nodded into her pillow.

"Thanks for taking care of me," she responded. Her grip on my hand weakened. "I'm just gonna go to sleep." I nodded.

"I'll tell your mom." I walked out of the room and Klaus was just meandering in the foyer, like he didn't know whether he should leave or not. "Can you wait a minute?" I asked. He pursed his lips and nodded, like he was contemplating all the things he'd be missing by waiting for me as if he hadn't been waiting for someone to say something to him.

I went and told Caroline's mom that Caroline had been healed and was going to sleep. When I walked back towards the foyer to leave, I saw Klaus pacing. "Klaus," I said. He stopped walking and turned to look at me. "Sorry if I kept you or anything but I just wanted to thank you for saving her… even if you are the reason she was put in that position in the first place."

"Yes, well, it was the right thing to do," he responded.

"Well, thanks again," I said and I grabbed the door handle to leave. I didn't want to think about that weird moment before he healed Caroline. It was strange. I walked out onto the Forbes' porch and the door didn't close behind me. Klaus had caught it.

"Can I walk you home?"

"I'm sorry?" I said. Klaus had linked his hands behind his back again and was looking at his feet. He was trying to make me like him. He was trying to trick me, wasn't he? "I uh, I drove here. But maybe another time." I kept walking towards my car and I shook my head. What the heck was going on? This was insane.

"I was speaking to you in there, you know." My hand froze on the door handle.

"Why?" I whispered.

"You would be the more interesting vampire." I dropped my hand from the door and no longer cared that I'd driven to Caroline's house. "Changed your mind?" he asked slyly. Klaus was getting what he wanted but I didn't care. This might be worth it.

I nodded. "I can come back in the morning." He smiled and I felt nervous. I would be walking home with the man who had murdered my aunt, who would have killed Jeremy, who was the reason Caroline had been bitten by a werewolf, and who was keeping Tyler on some kind of weird leash. "Why? I just don't understand."

"Perhaps you should've been the one of your friends who turned early." We started walking down the sidewalk and I raised my eyebrows.

"But-"

"But I couldn't make my hybrids with your blood? Well, as Stefan was so keen to remind me earlier, Elena has that ability as well." Out of everything that someone could have said to me, saying I would be an interesting vampire was the last thing I would have expected out of anyone's mouth. "Why are you so shocked?"

"Because I would be a terrible vampire."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, I could ask you the same question. What makes you say that I could be good?" Klaus didn't even know me all that well. We hadn't spent enough time together for him to get that kind of handle on my personality. Then again, maybe he had. Klaus started smiling which only seemed to emphasize his high cheekbones.

"Think of all of the things about yourself that would be enhanced." He moved behind me and I stopped walking, weirded out. This was something I wouldn't have expected when I went out earlier.

"I can't think of anything good," I said. "I'd be controlling and worrying and a pushover."

"You would be kind and understanding and clever. You would be stylish and you would be strong." His hands touched my arms and for a minute, I believed him.

"Are you trying to convince me?" I whispered. His hands left my arms and he arrived back at my side.

"I'm just stating the facts; maybe it wouldn't be the worst thing to happen to you." I heard him in my head over and over again; _there's a whole world out there waiting for you. _He was right.

"I'm sorry about everything with Stefan. Damon has been doing everything he can," I said to change the subject. Damon had said he was doing everything he can which certainly didn't mean he was. But I needed to move on from the idea of being a vampire.

"Well, he's certainly not trying hard enough. Stefan almost drove your sister off Wickery Bridge in an attempt to fluster me."

"He _what_?" I asked. "Is she okay?" Klaus let her go over the side. There was no reason for him not to… but then he'd just said he could still use her blood.

"I told him I'd get my hybrids out of town if he spared her."

"Why?" I asked for what was probably the fifth time that night.

"I told you to consider her spared." I stopped walking again, my mouth hanging slack. I wasn't normally this lacking in eloquence but at every turn, Klaus was surprising me.

"You didn't have to do that," I said. "Thank you. That was… That's just really nice." He smiled again and I started walking. "Why are you… Why are you being this way with me?"

"Whatever do you mean?"

"I mean saving Caroline and saving Elena. You actually wanted to kill Caroline and Elena means nothing to you. Now you're telling me I'm kind and… and stylish?"

"It's not an everyday occurrence that a human peaks my interest." But I was nothing. I was incredibly normal. If anything, I was boring. Klaus was a thousand years old and an eighteen year old girl who wasn't even the doppelganger 'peaked his interest'? "You are different than other humans, Vivian. Not many are like you." I raised my eyebrows again.

"Not many are skittish and naïve?" I asked. He laughed a little.

"No, not many."

We arrived in front in my house and I sighed in relief. I was ready for bed. I was ready to think about this weird conversation and tell it to Elena word by word so she could do all the analyzing for me. "Thank you for walking me home and thank you for helping Caroline," I said. "I think I like this side of you."

"And here you were probably thinking we had nothing in common."

"What could we possibly have in common?" I asked. "You are an Original and I haven't even graduated high school yet."

"You lost your father recently too, did you not?" I nodded slowly. How did he know that?

"My _biological _father died to save Elena during the sacrifice. My real father died when he drowned in the river beneath Wickery Bridge." Klaus nodded at me.

"We have that in common; adoptive fathers." I smiled and nodded.

"I suppose that's true. There's one thing." I walked onto my porch and Klaus followed me again. "Well, thank you again."

"You're welcome, sweetheart. The offer is always there, you know. I can show you everything."

"Why would you want to?" I asked.

"I've already told you, you're interesting."

I slunk into the house to find that everyone was already asleep so I followed suit. I slept in the next day, missing my morning classes but I didn't care. No one else seemed to think school mattered so why should I?

I walked downstairs, still groggy and rubbing my eyes. Damon was in the kitchen with Elena and Alaric and I saw there was a small package on the table. "Good morning," I said, yawning.

"Uh, Viv, I found this on the porch this morning," said Elena, holding up the package.

"That's strange," I responded. "What is it?"

"It's for you," said Alaric. Damon looked angry and I paused. It was for me?

I moved towards the table and I saw the name card sitting beside the velvet box. I picked it up slowly and turned it over in my shaking hands. "From Klaus." I dropped it onto the table in the next instant. My hands fumbled as I untied a white ribbon from around the box and then I opened it. Inside there was a necklace, a diamond and pearl necklace that was sincerely one of the prettiest things I'd ever seen. "Wow," I said.

"What the hell is going on?" demanded Damon.

"I have absolutely no idea."


	16. Chapter 16

**Hey! I just want to thank everyone so much for the new follows and favorites and all of the reviews. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate it. I put a lot of work into this story so I'm glad to hear that people are enjoying it. I can't wait to do the next chapter! It'll be the ball! And guess what? Elijah's back this chapter ;) As usual, I own nothing but Vivian.**

I checked outside before I let Damon drive me back to Caroline's house for my car. He was furious. "I cannot believe that this douchebag is interested in you!" he exclaimed.

"You don't know that he is," I responded. "It was a nice gesture after a really weird conversation." Damon scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"You don't honestly believe that crap, do you?"

"I don't know what to believe, Damon. He goes from threatening my family and using me to saying I would be an interesting vampire and that he'd love to show me the world."

"He's interested in you. I'm sorry. I know it's the last thing you wanna hear because it's the last thing I wanna hear but it's the truth. You've got an insane Original hybrid after you. I swear to God, this is the craziest Sugar Daddy relationship I've ever heard of!" I started laughing. I couldn't help myself. The whole thing was so preposterous, so completely out of the blue, that I couldn't believe it. "It's not funny, Viv. This is serious. You are in a very serious predicament."

"'Predicament'?" I asked, still laughing. "Oh, it must be serious."

"You think I'm overreacting but I'm not!"

I got in my car and drove to school, hoping beyond all hope that Klaus hadn't undaggered Rebekah. I couldn't bear to see her sitting in the desk beside mine today. I wouldn't know what to say. Sorry my sister daggered you? Your brother gave me a necklace that probably cost him thousands of dollars and I can't face him?

Luckily, I avoided Klaus for a couple of days after Jeremy had left town. Foolishly, I'd been sitting on the bench on our porch, reading, when I'd heard him walk up. I knew I should've just stayed inside, which Damon had suggested, but it had been the first nice day in a while and I wanted to sit on my porch.

I froze and looked up from my book. I had known it was Klaus from the way he walked up to me, not confidently like Damon, not slowly like Stefan. I tried to smile. Like it or not, if I didn't play my cards right, Klaus could kill me, could kill everyone I knew.

"May I sit with you?" he asked. I nodded and moved to give him some room. Luckily, he didn't sit too close to me. I might've had a heart attack if he did. "What are you reading?"

"The, uh, the Great Gatsby," I responded. "It's my favorite book." I curled a piece of hair behind my ear and I noticed Klaus was looking at me while I did it.

"Ah, that's one of my favorites too. The twenties were marvelous and Fitzgerald does a good job at representing them." I nodded. "I met Stefan in the twenties."

"Rebekah told me. She told me a lot about the twenties when… when she was awake." Was that okay to say? Was it okay to mention her?

Klaus didn't say anything for a minute and I closed my book, sitting it to the side of me. "I take it you received my gift or did Damon take it before you'd had the chance to see it?" He'd read Damon like a book.

"No, I got it," I said. "It's very beautiful. I just… I'm afraid I don't understand why you would give me something that nice. It's too nice for someone like me." I had tried to look up the necklace online, tried to find where Klaus had bought it and how he'd gotten it fast enough to leave on my doorstep the next morning, but I couldn't find anything. With the style and with the pearls, I could only guess that it was vintage and that signaled to me that he'd had that necklace for a very long time.

He laughed, almost bashfully, almost like he was embarrassed. "You deserve something nice," he responded. "It can't be easy being Elena's twin." I gulped. I didn't resent Elena and I never had. She couldn't help something that she hadn't chosen. But Klaus was right. It was difficult for me and Jeremy to continually get pushed aside for her, even by our friends. I didn't want to say the word 'jealous' but sometimes I was jealous of Damon worrying for Elena 24/7. He would never have left her, bleeding, to Klaus but he had left me, his self-proclaimed best friend.

"Nonetheless," I said, "I just don't know whether I should accept it."

"Because your friends are giving you a hard time?" I nodded. How had he figured that out too? "It's okay for you to want something for yourself, love. Your sister gets everything else and she always has."

"My sister is a good person," I responded. But sometimes, she wasn't. "You can't turn me against her. I won't let you." He smiled again.

"That's a reason for why I gave you the necklace. You're a good person too." I smiled at him then. "You remind me of when I was human and when Katherine was human. I hope you don't lose it like we did."

I watched in a sort of weird disbelief as he left me on my porch, alone again. Surprisingly, I didn't think the conversation had been weird. In fact, I had almost enjoyed it.

That night Damon had called me, relaying the fact that he knew where Stefan had been keeping the coffins and that complications had arisen. Klaus had figured it out and was going to take them. Damon was only able to keep one coffin away from him; a coffin that had apparently been so tightly locked that it could only be sealed with magic. He'd done a tally on the siblings and it wasn't one of them in there.

"At any rate, you wanna come over?" he asked. "I'll probably need a shield from Stefan."

"Well, if this is all Stefan's fault, then the blame shouldn't be put on you," I said. "You probably took the coffin that meant the most to him." I didn't ask where Damon had put it and I made myself go over to the Salvatore house anyway.

I got there minutes before Stefan. I stood in their living room pacing when Stefan showed up. "Seeing as you're still alive, I'm assuming Klaus didn't get those coffins," he said, differing immediately to Damon. I saw him give me a questioning look, asking why I was there. Actually, why was I here?

"Oh, don't look so happy," said Damon. "I was only able to get one of them out in time; the locked one." I crossed my arms, waiting for Stefan to lash out but he only nodded a little sarcastically.

"Probably a good choice."

"But if you're banking on having Bonnie's mama opening it, you're screwed. She doesn't have any powers." Elena and Bonnie had left a couple of days ago to track down Bonnie's birth mother so that they could get some information. Bonnie thought she needed another witch to crack the code on the locked coffin. But she was in for a rude awakening when she realized her mother was the one who'd sealed up Mikael and in the process, drained her powers. Damon was fairly certain no one would be able to open it.

"Well, it doesn't surprise me. It's been that kind of night." What the heck had happened between him and Elena now? I thought his switch was off. Then again, Damon had told me he'd always thought Stefan's switch was fried.

"Is Elena okay?" I saw the look on Stefan's face and I wished that Damon hadn't said anything. Stefan turned and punched him before I could think and I shrieked.

"Stefan, lay off him!" I said. I knew what it was though. Elena had confessed that she and Damon had kissed. There was the answer to Stefan's bad mood.

"I take it you two had a heart to heart," said Damon, holding his jaw. "And I take it you don't wanna talk about it. Noted. But I have something to talk about that the both of you might be very interested in." I raised my eyebrows and moved to stand beside Stefan when I saw Damon pull something out from behind his back. "Why don't we have a little chitchat about this?" He held it up in front of him and I let out a gasp while Stefan tried not to react beside me. It was a dagger and there was only one Original it could belong to.

I spent the night over at the Salvatore house without ever getting much of an answer out of Damon as to what was going on or whether he had a plan. When I woke up the next day, Elena had called saying that the medical examiner that had been killed a few days ago had been staked with one of the ones from our family. The only clear set of prints they got had been Elena's. She and Alaric said they'd try to handle it.

"Do you want me to come home?" I asked. My phone was on speaker and Damon shook his head at me from across the table.

"Nope, no can do," he said. "Vivian and I have got a field trip planned and no one, I mean no one, is going to interrupt this best friend bonding day." I raised my eyebrows.

"It doesn't matter," said Elena. "Sheriff Forbes doesn't honestly believe I did it. She thinks someone is trying to frame us."

"They are," I responded.

"Okay," said Damon. "Nice talking to you, Elena, but we've got to go. See ya! Bye!" Damon hung up my phone before I could grab it.

"Care to tell me what the heck is going on? Since when do we go on best friend field trips?"

"Since today. Look, I need a bit of a buffer and you are my only option… Actually, you're probably the only person that would volunteer to do anything for me at this point so please?" I nodded.

"Sure," I responded. "But what am I being a buffer for?"

"We're going to meet Elijah."

"Oh," I said succinctly.

Damon and I made our way to the old property lines and I felt a chill go through me. I hadn't been over the old property lines since Jenna and I had taken Elijah here for the book he had been supposedly writing. This was weird. It had been a long time since I'd seen Elijah, months in all actuality, and I was nervous. After everything that had been going on with Klaus (which I didn't claim to understand in the slightest), I just didn't know how to approach this situation.

I stepped through the grass and wrapped my sweater around myself more tightly. "Are you nervous?" Damon asked, beside me.

"No, why would I be?" I responded.

"Maybe because you've kinda got a crush on him and now his brother is into you. I dunno, sounds like something to be nervous about to me." I playfully punched him on the arm.

"I do not and you don't know that."

"Um, pretty sure both of those things are true. But I definitely wouldn't mention the Klaus thing, if I were you." I buried my hands in my sweater again.

"There is nothing to say because it is not a 'thing.' He uses me to make hybrids. That's not a 'thing.'"

"Well, he made it a 'thing' the minute he gave you some gaudy necklace he's kept from the 1800s."

"He was being kind to me and every once in a while it's nice to get a gift. Besides, when I tried to give it back to him, he refused it." Damon rolled his eyes.

"As if we all needed another reason to loathe Klaus." I laughed a little.

We made our way through a few trees and Damon helped make sure I didn't snag on any branches. I was wearing a skirt which might not have been my brightest idea. When we finally emerged from the trees, I caught sight of a figure not far from where we were. I gulped. Damon began to walk in front of me which I questioned, only because he'd openly referred to me as a buffer.

Damon arrived in front of Elijah first, only because he could walk faster than I could. When I came up behind Damon, I felt my heartbeat quicken and a smile spread across my face. I almost went to hug him. Elijah looked good and he looked pleasant. Maybe Damon didn't even need to be worried. I didn't know why he wouldn't be. Elijah had been betrayed by Klaus. No doubt he was angry, right?

"Hello, Damon," said Elijah. "Vivian." His eyes fixed on me for a moment and he genuinely smiled. I felt my heart pound and I nodded at him.

"Hey," I responded.

"Elijah, my favorite Original back from the dead!" said Damon. "You clean up nice!" I saw Elijah half-smile.

"I take it you were the one who left something in my jacket pocket?" He held up a piece of paper between his fingers.

"Oh yeah," said Damon. "'Dear Elijah, let's get together and plot the destruction of your brother. XOXO.' Was I right to undagger you or are we gonna have a problem?"

"I'm here, let's talk." Elijah's eyes shifted back over to me for a second. "Vivian wants the destruction of my brother as well or is she here to protect you from me?" He'd read through this situation in a matter of minutes.

"Ouch," said Damon. "Can't she just wanna catch up? Besides, if you haven't heard already, Vivian's got her own reasons for wanting the Original hybrid dead so…"

"Damon!" I whispered. He turned and gave me a look, throwing up his hands.

"Whatever, I'll start with an easy question. Any idea what kind of Klaus-killing weapon would be magically sealed in a mystery coffin?" My eyes widened. I should've figured out that that was the reason anyone would want to open the sealed coffin, other than mild curiosity. But I hadn't and that was idiotic on my part.

"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about," Elijah responded. I could tell by the look on his face that he didn't. Elijah didn't know anything about the fourth coffin and he was trying to hide it… or he was trying to make it appear like he was. "But all this sounds as though the problem lies between my brother and yours."

"What are you suggesting? We chat it up at the Grill over hamburgers and cheese fries? I don't think so."

"Well, a sit down with the two of them wouldn't be a terrible idea."

"Yeah, you're crazy. It'll never work."

"It might," I said. "Elijah's right. The problem is between the two of them and they've been avoiding each other, other than for Stefan to kill a few hybrids and for Klaus to threaten him. This feud between them needs to end before Klaus decides to go after someone else… like Alaric." That got through to Damon. He didn't need to know Alaric was off the table, not yet.

Elijah nodded in defense of my stance and Damon groaned. "Okay, fine, I'll get Stefan to do it. But it's gonna be at your house and not mine."

"Fair enough," Elijah responded.

"It'll be like that dinner party we had but instead of John, we get Klaus. Ha ha, this sucks." I tried to picture the four of them sitting around a table, pretending that they didn't hate each other. It was laughable. "Can Vivian come?" I turned, my mouth dropping open, to stare at Damon. He only shrugged in my direction. "I'll need you," he mouthed. I rolled my eyes.

"Of course," said Elijah. "You're always welcome." I felt my heart pound again. This wasn't happening. I wasn't getting wrangled into these proceedings that should only involve Stefan and Klaus.

"Thank you," I said. "That's very kind of you. I'd love to be there." I wouldn't love to be there if only because it was guaranteed to go badly. But I couldn't back out.

"All right," said Damon, "I'll go run this by Stefan and we'll be over at Klaus' new place at 8. Guess we'll see ya then. Come on, Viv."

"Actually," I said as Damon turned to walk away, "I do want to catch up with Elijah." Damon did that weird eye thing that he did whenever he thought he was being intense.

"We rode together," he said, as if a car ride were enough to make me leave.

"I'll find a way," I said. "It's okay. I'll come by your house later." He nodded and started walking back the way we came, still pretending to be mad at me.

"He's protective of you." I turned back to Elijah when he spoke to me and I sucked in my breath. I don't know what I had been expecting when I said I wanted to catch up with him. That would require talking.

"Yes, he is," I said back, my voice quiet. My heart was thumping and Elijah began to smile again. Oh no, was he like Klaus? Could he hear it?

"Would you care to walk with me?" I nodded.

"Yes, please." I could hear Damon in my head reprimanding me for being so polite. According to him, only certain people deserved that and an Original wouldn't be one of them. "I'm glad you're alright. I knew you were but Stefan might have dropped your coffin into the ocean. I was worried he would."

I started walking beside Elijah and I tried to make myself loosen up. Elijah was my friend and there was no reason for me to be nervous about being alone with him. "Were you angry with me?" he asked. I looked at him, rather confused. "Were you angry when I did not follow through and kill Niklaus?" I shook my head.

"No," I said. "I wasn't. I probably would have done the same thing for my family."

"What did Damon mean when he said that you had your own reasons for wishing my brother ill? I take it Elena survived the sacrifice."

"Yes, she did. Our birth father participated in a spell that gave his life for hers."

"Then I am sorry for you." I shook my head.

"I didn't know him as well as I should have and he didn't approve of the company Elena and I keep. It was sad but… it also wasn't." I saw him nod, probably thinking of Mikael. No doubt Klaus had told him that. "What Damon was saying was… Well, I don't necessarily want Klaus dead. I've never felt the need to hate him the way everyone else has. But do you remember when you found out that Elena and I had the same blood?" He nodded. "Klaus has been using my blood to turn his hybrids. It's the only way for them to complete the transition."

"Why would he touch you? How would he know that it would work?" Now Elijah seemed angry but I remembered what Klaus had said; Elijah had deliberately left me out of conversations with him.

"He drank from me once and he knew that I was like Elena so I volunteered to do it. Klaus has honored our agreement to use only my blood and not Elena's. She's been through too much."

"You volunteered?" he asked. I nodded. "Do you regret it?"

"No," I said. "It's made me see that maybe Klaus isn't as bad as everyone says he is."

"You would be the only person that would say something like that." I smiled. He meant it as a compliment, I could hear it in his voice.

"Are you going to reunite your family?"

"I would like to." We reached an area of trees again and I let Elijah walk ahead of me. He turned his head back to make sure that I was following once and I started smiling. Damon was right; I did like Elijah. "I can take you home if you would like."

"Oh, thanks," I said, moving so that my skirt didn't catch on a low-hanging branch. "That's so nice of you."

"Well, you stayed out here for me. It's the least I could do." We reached a rough patch at a downward slope and Elijah reached back for me, offering his hand. I looked at it for a split second, almost paralyzed, but then I took it and let him help me.

"Thank you," I said once we were back on level ground and out of the tree grove. I saw what must have been his car in the distance. But my hand was still in his and I looked down at them before looking back at him. Elijah dropped my hand quickly and smiled, almost bashfully.

"I apologize." I shook my head.

"It's fine." An Original vampire was embarrassed to have held my hand for too long. This just didn't make sense.

Elijah took me back by my house, without either of us saying too much. When I saw that there was no one on my porch, I breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks again for taking me home and for inviting us over tonight," I said once I got out of his car. I wondered how Elijah had gotten a car but I didn't question it. It was possible that I didn't want to know.

"Well, I enjoy your company so it's no problem at all," Elijah responded. He walked with me up to my front door and I moved to hug him.

"I meant to do this earlier but Damon… Well, I'm just glad you're not daggered anymore." I wrapped my arms around him really quickly, my head quickly finding a place near the nape of his neck. Unlike the last time I'd hugged him, Elijah reacted fast this time, wrapping his arms around me too. I breathed out and broke the hold. "I'll see you tonight." He smiled back at me and nodded.

Damon and Stefan picked me up that night. I'd tried to dress nice for the occasion since Damon said he'd be wearing a suit and it had to be an event to push him to wear a tie. I was wearing a light blue dress that would fly out when I spun around and a shrug since it was still kind of cold at night. I'd even put my hair up. I slid into the back of Damon's car and crossed my arms when he tried to make jokes.

"Should I flip a coin as to who you're trying to impress wearing that dress?" he asked.

"If you're trying to say I look nice, then thank you," I responded. Stefan only groaned in response to our bickering.

"Why are you wearing the necklace, hmm?" I looked down at my chest. Yes, I'd worn the necklace Klaus had given me. It went well with my outfit.

"How many occasions are there where it's acceptable to wear something like this?"

"Um, it's never acceptable to wear something that a _mass murdering psychopath _gave you."

When we arrived at Klaus' new house, my mouth dropped open. As I got out of the car with the two of them, I looked around in disbelief. "This is really nice," I said. Damon shushed me and pointed to his ear then to the house, indicating that they could hear me. "Well, it is."

"Can I just say that there are 7 billion people on this planet and I would rather be having dinner with any of them over the four of you?" said Stefan.

"Suck it up," said Damon.

Elijah was the one who opened the door when we got there. "Niklaus, our guests are here!" he called. Stefan breezed past him without so much as a word and Damon walked by next, nodding. I came in last. "You look beautiful, Vivian." I tried not to smile as big as I wanted to. I felt heat rush to my face.

"Thank you so much," I said. "So do you. I mean, you look nice too. Handsome." Was it too late to turn back now before I made a bigger fool of myself? But Elijah didn't seem to pick up on it and I felt relieved.

I had barely looked beyond the threshold of the door but when Elijah moved to shut it, I looked into the room they had set up for dinner. Normally I was steady and rarely, if ever, lost my cool. But tonight I think I might. I stood beside Damon and scanned the room. There was a long table in the center of the room with two chairs on each side and one at each end as heads to the table. There were two women in the room, dressed alike in gold silk dresses and I gulped. Were they dinner? Then my eyes fixed on Klaus, who looked nice as ever, as he walked over to us.

"I hear the two of you want to negotiate a truce," he said as he looked between Damon and Stefan. "Sounds fair enough even though it is quite bold." When Klaus reached the end of the line, he turned to me. "And Vivian, you look radiant." I nodded at him when his eyes dropped to the necklace around my throat. I saw him smirk.

"She's my plus one," said Damon.

"Very well then. Let's discuss the terms of our agreement like civilized men, shall we?" Klaus gestured at the table and I could tell this was only going to become more awkward.

"It's better to indulge him," said Elijah, walking by the three of us.

"I didn't come here to eat, Klaus," said Stefan. "In fact, I didn't wanna come here at all but I was told I had to because you would hear us out." Stefan stepped foot into the dining room and Damon moved after him. Klaus was only grinning.

"Well, we can sit and eat or I can stick my hand down both of your throats and pull out your insides," said Klaus. My eyes widened. "The choice is yours." I saw Stefan nod, taking a seat at one of the ends of the table. I took a chair beside Damon and sunk down into it slowly, trying to evaluate the scene at hand. Klaus sat in front of me and I tried to tell myself to not be nervous.

The girls in the gold dresses served us wine and our food so I was hopeful that I wouldn't see them get torn limb from limb tonight. I tried to make myself eat but Stefan wasn't even doing that much. "Lost your appetite, mate?" asked Klaus.

"Eat!" said Damon. "I thought we agreed we'd leave the grumpy Stefan at home." Stefan mustered a sarcastic smile and dug into his food.

"That's the spirit," said Klaus. "Isn't this nice? The five of us dining together? What a treat. Is this what you had in mind when you pulled the dagger out of my brother?"

"Well, I knew how he felt about you so I figured the more, the merrier."

"Well, Elijah and I have had our share of quarrels over the centuries but we always make it through."

"Kinda like you and Rebekah, right?" asked Stefan. "Where is she, by the way? Last I checked, she was still daggered because you were afraid to face her."

"Stefan," I muttered.

"If you're referring to the fact that Rebekah knows I killed our mother, I've already come clean to Elijah," said Klaus.

"Hey, Stef, remember when you killed dad?" said Damon. "You might wanna dial down the judgment till dessert."

"We're here to make a deal, Damon. Doesn't mean we need to kiss his ass for seven courses," said Stefan. I tried to hide a laugh.

"I'm just saying we have a long evening ahead of us. Pace yourself."

"Well, Stefan, where is Elena tonight?" asked Elijah. I looked over at him and shook my head.

"I dunno. Why don't you ask Damon?" Stefan responded. Klaus started laughing and Elijah looked confused.

"You've missed a lot," I said.

"Trouble in paradise," said Klaus.

"One more word about Elena and this dinner is over," said Stefan.

"Hey, you know what, probably best to keep Elena in the do-not-discuss pile," said Damon. Klaus kept laughing and looked at me, holding a finger to his lips. I laughed too. Damon kicked me under the table.

"It's just the allure of the Petrova doppelganger is still so strong," said Klaus. "What do you say, brother? Shall we tell them about Tatia?" I raised my head from staring down at my plate.

"Why should we discuss matters long since resolved?" said Elijah but he was fiddling with his napkin so I asked.

"Who was she? The first Petrova?" I asked. Klaus nodded.

"I was going to say, given our guests' pasts with Elena and Katerina, they might be curious about the originator of the Petrova line," said Klaus.

"We're not going anywhere, Elijah," said Damon. "Please, do tell."

"When our family first settled here, there was a girl named Tatia," said Elijah. "She was an exquisite beauty. Every boy of age desired to be her suitor even though she'd had a child by another man… and none loved her more than Niklaus."

"Oh, I'd say there was one who loved her at least as much," said Klaus. The two of them cut eyes at each other and it hit me.

"You both loved the same girl?" I asked. Stefan chuckled and Damon only gave me a look.

Elijah nodded at me. "Our mother was a very powerful witch. She sought to end our feud over Tatia and so she took her. Klaus and I would later learn that it was Tatia's blood that we consumed in the wine on the night our mother performed a spell which turned us into vampires." Klaus had looked hurt throughout the entire story. He had really loved her. Maybe he was still hurt. I tried to smile at him when he looked back over at me. "Tatia wouldn't make a decision between the two of us so for a time, Klaus and I grew estranged. Harsh words were traded. We even came to blows, didn't we?"

"But in the end we recognized the sacred bond of family," said Klaus.

"Family above all," said Elijah, clinking his wine glass against Klaus's.

"Not for long," muttered Damon, cutting his eyes over me. I kicked him under the table. I knew they'd heard him. How could they not?

"Why don't we move this evening along and discuss the terms of this proposal?" asked Elijah.

"That's very simple," said Damon. "Klaus gets his coffin back. In exchange, he and the Original extended family leave Mystic Falls forever." I turned and looked at him in disbelief.

"But-" I started.

"Vivian," he said through clenched teeth. "Then me, Stefan, Elena, and Vivian live happily ever after. No grudges."

"The deal sounds fair," said Elijah.

"But I don't think you understand," began Klaus, "Vivian and I made an agreement that she gave me her word on. Vivian's blood ensures that I will always have more hybrids to fight those that oppose me. I will never leave her behind."

"Do you honestly need more hybrids than you already have?" said Elijah. "Let the girl have a normal life."

"Come on, Viv," said Damon. "If there were ever a time where it was appropriate to break a deal, it would be right now."

"He's right, Damon," I responded. "I gave him my word. It's either me or Elena. What would you prefer?"

"You heard her, Damon," said Stefan. "Let her do what she wants."

"Hell, nobody asked you, Stefan," exclaimed Damon. "Let me just make this clear," he said, turning back to Klaus, "Vivian isn't a piece to be negotiated in this."

"I made a deal, Damon," I said, grabbing his arm. "I have to keep it." He shrugged away from my grasp.

"I need some air." He got up and left and I watched as Elijah rose too.

"I'll deal with this," he said.

"Thanks," I responded.

This left me alone with Klaus and Stefan who looked like they were in some kind of stare-off. "All this talk has made me thirsty," said Klaus. "What do you say, Stefan? Can I interest you in a drink?" I jolted out of my seat when I saw Klaus bring one of the girls who had been serving us over. He moved her hair away from her neck and I saw him sink his teeth in. I backed away from the dinner table slowly. I wanted no part of this, at all. I turned away when Klaus let her body drop to the floor. "Sorry if I frightened you, Vivian. At least you weren't on the menu tonight."

"Stefan," I said, like he would help me leave. He didn't care about anything anymore, least of all, me.

"Well," said Stefan, "I guess the only reason you agreed to this evening, Klaus, is to drive a wedge between me and my brother."

"Oh no," he responded. "You're doing that well enough on your own. Because of Elena, you're going to lose your brother and you'll only have yourself to blame." Luckily, Elijah and Damon arrived back in the room and I immediately felt safer.

"So what do you say, Klaus?" asked Damon. "It's time for you to put something on the table. We've made our offer, now you counter."

"Okay," said Klaus. "I offer you Elena's future happiness with the two of you because I'm going to take Vivian. We made our agreement and she's stuck to it thus far, moral little thing that she is. I can guarantee her safety for the rest of her natural life and while that may not sound like a lot to you, Damon, because she'll be separated from you and from her family, it's more than you and this town can offer her." I gulped. Elijah stared over at me and I mustered a smile. "What do you say, Stefan? Do we have a deal?" Damon shook his head at Stefan but he took hold of Klaus' hand anyway. I knotted my hands together in worry.

Klaus was smiling rather triumphantly but Stefan shut him down. "Nice try, Klaus, but no deal," he said. I shrieked in horror as Klaus snapped Stefan down to the floor and almost thrust him into the fireplace, letting the flesh on his arm burn. Stefan yelled out and I watched in shock as Elijah threw Damon up against a wall, choking him.

"What are you doing?" I asked him in disbelief.

"Let Stefan go!" said Damon.

"Bring me my coffin before I burn him alive," said Klaus.

"I'll go get it," I said. "Where is it?"

"No," said Damon. "I will." He moved to leave and Elijah followed him at Klaus's bequest.

"Klaus," I said, "you don't have to do this. You don't have to hurt him."

"Oh, I think I do," he responded, turning to look at me before giving Stefan enough of a reprieve to break free. "Elijah, welcome back." I turned to see Elijah and Damon, minus a coffin, standing with one of the girls who had served us at dinner. "Wait, seems to me that wasn't more than a minute, so why haven't you left?"

"Well, where are your manners, brother?" asked Elijah. "You forgot dessert." He undraped a platter holding two daggers. I gasped again.

"What have you done?" asked Klaus and I almost thought he sounded scared.

"What have you done? You see, I've learned not to trust your vulgar promises, Klaus. We're doing this on my terms now." Just then, a boy walked between Elijah and Damon and Klaus' reaction was golden. He was terrified.

Another man emerged, stabbing Klaus with one of the daggers, and then I saw Rebekah turn and gut him with another one. One of the men held Klaus back and I saw Klaus turn his head, giving me a look that honestly made me feel sorry for him.

"You're free to go," said Elijah. "This is family business."

I looked in horror at Klaus one last time before Damon tugged me out of the house and into his car.


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey ya'll! I'm really excited about this chapter! I just want to continue to thank everyone so much for the continued support. I really appreciate it. And before I forget, I've been messaged a couple of times about what I will do when I get to the part of the show where TVD and The Originals break from each other. My intent, as of right now, is to carry on into The Originals but I still think I'll need a better idea of that show before I can decide the storyline. I also want it to be believable that Vivian would leave town. But anyway, that's far off for right now, but if you have any ideas about that, please let me know what you'd be in favor of me doing. As usual, I own nothing but Vivian.**

I tried my best to go to sleep that night and not worry about what was going on over at "Casa Original," as Damon would call it. Likely, Klaus could be dead. I guess that would solve everyone's problems, wouldn't it? Why was I being skeptical? Klaus had been plain mean to me and my entire family. Recently, he'd tried to kill Jeremy and when I'd returned home after going to Klaus' new house, I found Elena with Alaric, who had been stabbed like the others during this insane murder mystery. What if Klaus was actually behind that too?

But he wasn't. He was cruel and vindictive and clearly had a lot of issues but he wasn't behind the murder of civilians in Mystic Falls. It would've taken him too much time to have someone steal weapons that belonged to Ric, especially when some of them were actually from inside our house. But nonetheless, that was another problem that needed to be solved. Ric was in the hospital under observation because the ring still wasn't quite doing it's job right. That only served to make Elena paranoid about me wearing one.

How many times had Alaric died and come back? Maybe the number would actually mean something. Every device has a breaking point, right? But the Gilbert rings were safety nets for me and Ric. They almost ensured we couldn't get hurt. But while I had died once while wearing the ring (thankfully, Klaus had spared me from going through it twice more), Ric had been killed at least four or five times. Damon killed him originally when he first came to town, Damon had snapped his neck for fun a couple of months ago, and within just a few days, he'd been killed twice. I knew I was forgetting another time, I had to be.

I felt something touch my face and I jolted upright in bed. Miraculously, I had actually fallen asleep at some point during the night, although I'd managed to throw my blankets nearly off the bed. I groaned when I looked at my alarm clock. It was past 10am. Didn't anyone care to wake me up for school anymore? Wait, maybe it wasn't even a school day.

I turned my head slightly and saw what must have awoken me, although that hadn't been what it felt like. An envelope was sitting unopened on the pillow beside me. My name was emblazoned across the front in beautiful handwriting. How had anyone gotten in here? What was this? I felt a slight pang of nervousness when I opened it and it split open fancily. I pulled it out quickly before going downstairs. My eyes scanned the front of an invitation. "Please join the Mikaelson family this evening at seven o'clock for dancing, cocktails, and celebration." I jumped off my bed and paced around my room. Who were the Mikaelsons? The Originals?

I flipped the invitation over on impulse and I felt my heart pound nearly out of my chest. "Vivian," began the beautiful handwriting, "please do me the honor of accompanying me tonight. Sincerely, Elijah." The invitation nearly fell out of my hands.

Elijah had been in my room while I was sleeping. He had been what woke me up. I almost shuddered when I looked around my room. I hadn't cleaned it in nearly two weeks because cleaning and making my bed had seemed like frivolous chores compared to everything else going on. But he'd seen it and that made me feel a little more than embarrassed. He'd also seen me in my pajamas, since I'd restlessly thrown the covers off me in the middle of the night. Oh, my God, this was humiliating. I wasn't even wearing anything cute. Note to self: never sleep in Mom's old nightgown ever again.

I heard the doorbell ring before I could think of anything else and heard an unmistakable reaction of boredom from Damon. I threw on some quick clothes and hurried out of my room, clutching my phone before dialing Elijah's old number. I hoped it was still the same. "Vivian," said Elijah on the other end of the line, completely cool and collected. Why didn't he ever get nervous about anything? How was he always so put together?

"Elijah," I said. "Um, I just woke up and received your invitation. I would love to-" I looked down at the invitation for the push. "I would love to accompany you tonight."

I heard him breathe into the phone, almost a little relieved. "I'm pleased to hear it."

"Is this… Is this a ball?" I asked slowly. The invitation hadn't made it abundantly clear but I needed to know some kind of dress code. I needed to focus on something other than making a fool of myself in front of Elijah.

"I suppose so, yes." I breathed out. "Should I pick you up a little before 7?"

"Yes, thank you," I replied. I couldn't think of anything else to say other than "thank you".

"Viv, who the hell are you talking to?" Damon called. "Come down here!" I sighed.

"Duty calls," I said. "I'll um, I'll see you tonight."

"It can't come soon enough," said Elijah before hanging up. I felt like screaming into a pillow. I couldn't believe this was happening. Something I actually wanted was happening to me.

When I arrived at the bottom of the stairs, I held up my invitation. "The Mikaelsons are having a ball," I said.

"Yeah, we know," said Damon, yanking the invitation from my fingers and flipping it over to read the back. I watched him roll his eyes.

"Who the hell are the Mikaelsons?" asked Stefan.

"The Original family," said Elena, looking at her own invitation.

"It's not bad enough that they're moving into town, they want a housewarming gift too?" scoffed Damon. Quickly, he regaled me with the tale that Esther, the Original witch, had been in the locked coffin and wanted to live together with her family in harmony, even Klaus. Elena had learned all this when she'd left the hospital in the middle of the night and Rebekah had tried to kill her (it shouldn't have surprised me but for some reason, it did). Elijah had saved her and updated her on the situation after Damon, Stefan, and I had left.

"There's a note on the back of mine," said Elena slowly.

"I hope it's not the same note that Vivian got on the back of hers," said Damon, "or else Elijah is going to be in a world of trouble."

"Elijah wrote you something?" asked Elena. "How did you get your invitation anyway?" The note on the back of her invitation forgotten, Elena focused her round brown eyes on me.

"It was on my bed when I woke up," I responded. "He asked me to go with him tonight."

"Creeeeeepy," said Damon. Stefan rolled his eyes.

"Like you haven't done the same thing," he said. Damon practically scowled.

"So that's who you were on the phone with," said Elena, ignoring the Salvatores. I nodded.

"I told him I'd love to," I said, smiling. I really would love to. I really wanted this. I could tell Elena felt the same way because she truly smiled at me then, like she was happy for me. "But what does your note say?"

She looked back down and read the writing. "Elena, I think it's time we finally meet. Esther." I furrowed my brow. What did the Original witch want with my sister?

"What the hell?" exclaimed Damon.

"I think if Esther wants to talk to me, I should see what she wants." Elena could already tell that Damon wasn't down for the idea and neither was Stefan.

"Well, it's a dumb idea."

"What harm could it do?" I asked. "She's the one who's trying to keep Klaus and all the other Originals in line. According to Elijah, all she wants is for their family to be happy."

"But she's already tried to kill Elena once."

"No, I think Elena and Vivian are right," said Stefan. "Bonnie was led to open that coffin for a reason. I think there's more to this than just some family reunion."

"Can we go back in time to the old Stefan who cared if Elena lived or died? Hell, can we go back to the old Stefan who cared about anything at all?"

"What for? That's your job now."

I heard the doorbell ring and I was incredibly relieved to be able to step away from the triangle if only for a moment. "I'll get it," I muttered, although I doubted any of them heard me. When they were in the throes of arguing, I doubted anyone could get through to either of the Salvatores.

I opened the front door, expecting to find either Bonnie or Caroline ranting about their ball invitation and how they were going to find something to wear in time but instead no one was there. I shrugged and made to close the door when I looked down. I saw a package that looked far too nice to have been delivered by UPS and on top of it was an envelope with my name on it. I felt confused for a second because it was clearly another invitation to the ball and I'd already received one. But the package threw me for a loop so I picked it up and carried it to the dining room table.

Elena, Damon, and Stefan were arguing over what to do regarding Esther but then they all seemed to register that I'd returned to the room. "What the hell is going on now?" said Damon, groaning.

"There has to be some sort of mistake because this is another invitation to the ball," I said. Stefan raised his eyebrows while Elena encouraged me.

"Open it," she said eagerly. Something told me that she knew what I would see before I saw it.

I unsealed the invitation and immediately flipped it over, knowing there was nothing of interest on the front. I openly gasped. "Vivian, thank you for keeping our agreement. Please let me take you to the ball tonight. Fondly, Klaus."

"Oh, my God," I said, almost crumpling the invite in my hand. I read it to them before opening the box in front of me and before Damon could say something snarky.

The top came off easily and I dropped it on the table when I caught sight of what was inside. It was a ball gown that looked fit for a princess. I picked it up by it's tulle straps and admired everything about it. It was pale pink and fitted at the top before flowing out and to the floor when it reached my hips. "Wow," I breathed.

"Nope," said Damon. "Put it back in the box and burn it." I raised my eyebrows. I was not one for disrespecting a gift, no matter why or how it was given. "Are you forgetting you've already agreed to go with Elijah? You know, the guy who's actually slightly okay and not an insane psychopath who drains you regularly?" For one thing, I couldn't remember the last time that Klaus had even asked me for more blood and for another, he didn't seem all bad. But Damon was right.

Holding up both of my invitations, Elena looked ripe to burst out laughing and Stefan only looked confused.

"This is so weird," I said, grabbing my phone and closing the box back up reluctantly. Maybe it was shallow but the dress was gorgeous and thoughtful. "I don't get why he's asking me anyway."

"I'm telling you like I told you when the stuff with Elijah started, you're being too nice," said Damon. Sure, there was a point where niceness became being a pushover but I wasn't to that point. Maybe a little niceness was exactly what the Originals needed.

I walked back upstairs and dialed the number I had for Klaus slowly. I prayed he didn't answer. Instead, he picked up on the first ring.

"Hello, Vivian." His voice came through the phone and was thick with happiness which made me uncomfortable. Was he happy because I was talking to him? This was too much pressure.

"Hey," I said. "Um, I just received your invitation and… and your gift, which is lovely, by the way… but I'm sorry. I agreed to go to the ball with Elijah a little while before I got your invitation." This was a situation I'd never dreamed I'd be in. Going from never having kissed a boy in eighteen years of life to having two of the oldest vampires in the world vying to take me to a ball.

"Ah, Elijah, I should have guessed." His voice slid down a few notches. "You've always quite liked him, haven't you?" I nodded as if he could see me.

"Yes," I said. "I'm sorry. I would have agreed to go with you if I had seen yours first though."

"I know," he responded. "You're sweet in that way." I resisted asking him the question that I really wanted answered; why did he ask me at all?

"Well, do you want the dress back before the ball? I can bring it by." I felt a pang at the thought of that beautiful dress. I wouldn't find anything like it in the shops in town.

"Are you saying you don't want to wear it?" Klaus asked slyly.

"No, I'd love to. I just thought…" I heard him laugh a little.

"Wear it… and save me a dance."

"I sure will. Thank you, Klaus," I said but then I lowered my voice. "Your family didn't hurt you, did they?"

"No," he responded lightly. "They might have tried had it not been for our mother."

"How are you feeling about that?" I thought it was the right thing to ask and I truly did want to know.

"I'm not sure why she wishes to forgive me when I killed her."

"Forgiveness like that must be hard," I said. "But she must know you're not all bad. If I can see it, surely your own mother can."

"Thank you, Vivian." We ended our conversation a little while after that, with me no closer to having answers about why he would have wanted to take me to a ball in the first place.

I went with Caroline and Elena to the Grill to burn off some of my nervousness for the ball but of course, it seemed to be the only thing they wanted to talk about.

"It's all so weird," said Elena. "The Originals are throwing a ball, like an actual ball."

"It's some twisted Cinderella fetish is what it is," said Caroline, cutting her eyes over to me. I see that Elena had filled her in with what was going on with Klaus. "And why does the evil witch want an audience with you?"

"I have no idea. There's only one way to find out."

"Damon will throw a fit and the last thing we need is for him to make a scene in front of the Originals," I said. "Besides, you already told him and Stefan that you weren't going to her."

"Which is why I'm in need of a drama-free bodyguard." She looked at Caroline expectantly.

"Well, I think a Salvatore will look a lot better in a tux," said Caroline, "and by that, I mean Stefan." Elena groaned.

"I can't deal with either of the Salvatores right now. Whatever Stefan's feeling, he's channeling it all against Klaus and Damon is just not a good idea."

"Why? Because you two made out?" Elena made a face at me and I threw up my hands. "Bonnie spilled the beans."

My mind left the conversation when Caroline started lecturing Elena on being a better friend. It was true, Elena needed some work and maybe I did too but Elena had been through a lot so I think she deserved to check out of life for a while.

When Rebekah walked by us, I jolted back to reality. She glared over at Elena but when she saw me, she waved. I waved back. "What are you doing?" hissed Caroline.

"She is my friend," I said.

"Well, what's she doing here?" The three of us watched as Rebekah walked over to Matt and handed him an invitation. Everyone's jaws dropped. "Well, even if I wasn't going, I sure as hell am now."

The rest of the afternoon passed rather quickly. I had Elena help me with my hair, which she pulled back into a bun with pins that looked like they had pearls on the end. I helped her with hers, swinging it to the side and throwing a couple of curls in. She went to the ball ahead of me, alone. She knew that Stefan and Damon were probably already there and likely, that was true.

When I heard the doorbell ring, I felt like I was starting to sweat even though it was cold outside. The dress that Klaus had given me happened to match the necklace he'd given me previously so I wore it again and I hoped that Elijah wouldn't ask me about it.

I opened the door and my heart almost leapt into my throat. A smile crept onto my face and I saw one creep onto Elijah's too. He looked really nice in his tux. Given that I'd never seen Elijah in anything other than a suit, it was hard to judge but I think he looked even better than usual.

"Vivian, you seem look more beautiful every time I see you," he said. I was sure I blushed.

"Thank you," I responded. "You look handsome as always."

He offered me his arm and I took it, hoping it would steady me. I was wearing gloves because Caroline had told us that we absolutely needed them and for once, I was glad I listened to her. No one could see the sweat coating my palms this way.

Elijah opened the car door for me and even helped me inside. He was such a gentleman. "I hope I didn't frighten you last night," he said once we began driving. "You seemed quite distressed." I shook my head.

"Oh no, I wasn't," I said, which was true. I wasn't scared _of _Elijah. I had been scared _for _Klaus. "I just didn't know if you would kill him."

"Klaus, you mean." I nodded. "If it is indeed true that you agreed to give him your blood, why wouldn't you want to be free of it? He could drag you to the ends of the earth and ensure you never see anyone you know again."

"I- I'm not sure. I gave him my word so I think I owe it to him to keep it." I saw him smile so I was sure he didn't think there was anything more to it than that.

"He's quite taken with you, you know?" I turned my head slightly but Elijah was focused on the road in front of him.

"No, I- I didn't." I wanted to ask him how he knew something like that but we had arrived at their house before we could say anything else.

Elijah opened my door for me again and offered me his arm so I took it. "Are you nervous?" Elijah asked before we walked into their house. I nodded.

"Very," I said. "I've never done anything like this before."

"Gone to a ball?"

"Had a date." It had always embarrassed me to say that and it especially embarrassed me now when I was standing with an Original who had to have had millions of dates, tons of women fawning over him and how handsome he was. He had to have kissed more people than I'd met in my lifetime. I felt young and rather simple next to him.

"Then I'll make sure you have the best night," he said. I smiled at him then, really smiled.

When we entered the ballroom, Elijah went to get me some champagne and I was grateful because after a couple of glasses, my nerves would wear down. Damon caught sight of me while he was gabbing with Elena and Stefan. He walked up and I thought he might be happy to see me but that was too much to ask for.

"Why are you wearing that?" he demanded. I shushed him.

"Keep your voice down!" I whispered. "It was a gift and Klaus told me it was okay to wear it. Now I would appreciate it if you didn't say anything else about it. I don't want this night to be more awkward than it has to be." He scoffed.

"Nonetheless, you do look nice, Viv." I smiled.

"Thank you, Damon."

At that moment, someone walked up to us. It was a young guy who looked vaguely familiar to me and bore a striking resemblance to Elijah. It was one of the other brothers. I didn't have a chance to react before he'd taken my hand and held it to his lips. "I'm Kol Mikaelson," he said, dropping my hand and I only looked at him, a little in shock.

"I'm Vivian Gilbert," I said. I was taken aback at how nice looking he was and that he'd approached me at all.

"Ah, yes, the new Tatia," he responded. I froze. He looked a little mean but at the same time, he didn't. Maybe it was just his personality? Nonetheless, it pissed Damon off.

"Why don't you back off?" Damon said down to Kol, who had to be the youngest sibling. He only looked back at Damon, as though Damon challenging him was the biggest moment of stupidity in his life.

"Damon," I whispered, hoping I could convey my worry in the tone of my voice.

"No worries, mate," said Kol. "I hope you both enjoy our little soiree tonight." He seemed to wink at me before turning and walking off.

"There's one who would've been better off staying in a coffin," said Damon.

"Go back to Elena," I said. "I'm fine. Hopefully that's the worst of the evening."

Damon reluctantly listened to me and I wandered away from him to look for Elijah, who was probably talking to Rebekah or something. When I moved into the room adjacent to the ballroom where everyone seemed to be talking, I saw Klaus talking to someone. I froze again. I knew I'd see him at the ball but I hadn't thought it would be so soon. He turned his head as if on cue and saw me. Klaus seemed to increase in attractiveness to me every time I saw him. Tonight was no exception. He looked almost cute when he stared over at me and I couldn't keep myself from smiling. He cut off from whoever he was talking to and walked over to me.

"Good evening," Klaus said when he arrived in front of me. His eyes moved from my necklace to my dress and I almost held my breath waiting for his approval. They were, after all, things he had given me. "You look… beautiful." He looked at his feet before meeting my eyes again.

"Well, I owe it to you," I said. "I really appreciate the dress."

"You'd look beautiful in anything," he responded. I knew I was blushing so I looked down.

"Thank you very much. Um, I should find Elijah so I'll see you later." He nodded but didn't respond to me.

Luckily when I entered the ballroom again, Elijah was there. He had to make an announcement with his siblings so I was left alone with my glass of champagne and I nursed it when I saw the five siblings on the grand staircase. The one I didn't recognize must be Finn.

"If everyone could gather, please," said Elijah. "Welcome." A woman walked down the stairs to stand near the one brother I hadn't yet met. She must be Esther. "You know, whenever my mother brings our family together like this, it's tradition for us to commence the evening with a dance. Tonight's pick is a centuries old waltz so if all of you could find yourselves a partner, please join us in the ballroom." Elijah made eye contact with me towards the end and I felt my joy increasing.

I walked into the ballroom along with everyone else and Elijah swooped in to stand beside me before the dance started. I noticed Klaus was dancing with Rebekah. I cursed having on the evening gloves when Elijah took one of my hands and turned me to face him. I sucked in a breath and tried to focus on the steps instead of looking at Elijah. If he was even slightly nervous, he wasn't giving off a smidgen of proof that he was.

"You're quite the dancer," he said.

"Thank you," I responded. "I helped Elena train for the Miss Mystic Falls pageant last year." He smiled at me and I smiled back. "You're pretty good yourself." He scrunched his mouth up like he didn't quite believe me.

"Thanks," he replied. Elijah met my eyes again and I felt my heart pound. He moved closer to me than any of the other people were to their partners and I felt a little embarrassed. Was this a normal thing to expect when a man danced with you? "I'm glad that the Salvatores didn't know you were in that house." He was so close to me and his voice was so deep that I felt like falling into him but I didn't.

"Me too." I almost brushed against his face and my heart started pounding again.

Before I knew it, Elijah had moved back from me and spun me. His hand left mine and I knocked myself into another person. "I'm so sorry," I said, feeling clumsy, but when I looked up, I saw Klaus. He immediately took up where Elijah left off.

I moved my hand to his shoulder and when he gripped my hand, he pulled me closer like Elijah had. My chest was practically touching his and I was worried that I might step on his feet. Somehow, I managed not to.

"You look really nice," I said. "I meant to tell you that earlier." He smiled almost bashfully and he bent his head down a little to almost hide it from me.

"You're a good dancer… for being so nervous," Klaus said. I gulped.

"Is it that obvious?" I whispered.

"Your heartbeat quickens whenever you look at Elijah… or me." His voice sent a shiver down my spine and I almost yanked away from him. When I was embarrassed like that, I didn't want to see anyone, especially someone who seemed to be enjoying it. My heart pounded again when he kept his hand steady on my lower back. "Yep, just like that." I really yanked back then and if it hadn't been for his hand, I might have succeeded.

"I don't take kindly to being humiliated," I whispered to him, looking over his shoulder to see Elijah dancing with a girl I didn't know. His eyes locked on me slowly. Was he hearing this?

"I didn't intend to," he responded.

"Yes, you did. You enjoy being mean."

"I'm sorry," he replied. "But can I show you something?" I leaned back from him and gave Klaus a questioning look.

"What would you want to show me?"

"I'd like to show you my paintings." I opened my mouth a little in shock. Aren't paintings really personal? Why would he open up to me and show me something like that?

"Well, I'd like to see them," I said.

When the dance ended, I was a little sad that it had. I promised Klaus I would find him after I talked to Elijah quickly. Luckily, I had no problem getting away from Elijah. He was concerned about why his mother wanted to talk to Elena because he didn't quite understand why she'd be willing to forgive Klaus for everything he'd done. Elijah was wondering if Elena would tell him everything she said. I told him that of course, she probably would. Elena hadn't been friends with Elijah like I had but she knew what this meant to me and she knew a good person when she saw one.

When Elijah went to talk to Elena, I followed Klaus into a room downstairs. He closed the door behind us, which made me nervous, but I understood that he didn't want anyone else to see this. There were canvases everywhere, some of them finished, some of them not. I moved around the room in practical shock. They were amazing. They were on caliber with anything that was in a museum.

"This isn't all of them," said Klaus. "I can show the others if you like." I nodded.

"I'd love that," I said, looking around slowly. "These are amazing, Klaus. You're really talented. Between you and Jeremy, I know two artists now." I laughed a little.

"Do you really like them?" I turned to him with a look of disbelief on my face.

"Of course, I like them. Have you ever met anyone who doesn't? I'd like to meet them and shake some sense into them, if that's the case." He laughed then and moved to stand beside me.

"One of my landscapes is hanging in the Hermitage, though no one would ever know. Have you been?" I shook my head.

"I've never exactly been anywhere other than here." I was pretty sure I'd already told him that but maybe he just wanted to amaze me. It was working.

"I'll take you." I turned to look at him and Klaus seemed sincere. "I'll take you wherever you want to go." I didn't know how to react to someone telling me that. "Rome?" he said. "Paris?" I laughed at that and when he did too, I relaxed enough to finally ask him.

"I don't mean to overstep my boundaries or anything but why are you showing me these? Why would you offer to take me anywhere I wanted to go? Why did you invite me tonight?" Elijah and I mutually liked each other and I had figured that out a while ago but I had yet to figure Klaus out.

"I fancy you," he responded. "You hadn't figured that out yet?" My breath caught in my throat.

"Why?" I asked quietly.

"Don't you know?" I shook my head, feeling rather stupid. What was there to like? "I enjoy you and I enjoy your company. You're light and… and you are human in the best ways. You're beautiful and you're understanding and no matter what I've done to you, you are still kind to me." Well, for once, Damon was absolutely right. I was being too nice. "There is a lot to like about you."

"Well, I- I like you too but I might be spoken for… by your own brother." And by all accounts, the brother Klaus was the closest with. Klaus only gave me a brooding smile.

"A little healthy competition never hurt him. I like you, Vivian, and I won't just give up." My mouth almost dropped open.

"The last thing I want is to come between you and Elijah. I- I've seen it with Stefan and Damon and Elena… and Stefan and Damon and Katherine. I am not either of them and I don't want to be." I felt like I might be sick. But Klaus seemed to understand where I was coming from.

"I know that and Elijah knows that." I nodded. He was right. It certainly couldn't be pinned on me the way it could Katherine and even Elena, to a certain extent. He shook me from my thoughts when he put his hand on my bare arm. "Do you want me to give up?"

My thoughts fought against each other for a moment. It would be easier if he did but if I said so, I might offend him and he could kill me right in this room before anyone knew the better. Even then, I wasn't sure I wanted him to even though I really, really liked Elijah. I was scared of his reaction and I knew it might be a bad idea but I nodded. "It would be easier on everyone," I said. He only smiled.

"I expected that. It would've been out of character for you to say no."

Minutes later we were back in the foyer for a toast and I was shaking from my interaction with Klaus. I closed my eyes and counted to five, telling myself to pull it together. I could deal with everything else later. I needed to just enjoy the rest of the evening. Elijah and Elena were talking before he walked back over to me and I mustered up a smile when I saw that he was smiling. So Elena and Esther went well.

"How was it?" I asked Elijah when he arrived beside me.

"It must be true. According to Elena, she only wanted to apologize for trying to kill her," he replied. He seemed relieved so I felt like I was too.

Esther stood at the top of the stairwell and told us all to grab a glass of champagne to toast her family being back together again. Elijah grabbed two flutes of champagne and handed me one. I smiled at him when he moved to stand closer to me. I looked across the room and saw Klaus nod my way when he took a glass. I listened when Esther told us to drink and I shot back most of the glass.

Elijah asked to take me home before Elena and Damon and Stefan had left. As far as I knew, they were doing their best to make a scene and were trying to kill each other. Whatever the case, I didn't have the time to worry about them.

I thought about mentioning what had happened with Klaus to Elijah but I stopped myself short when I got in the car with him. That might ruin this otherwise really great night.

"How was your first ball with a date?" Elijah asked. I smiled a little shyly.

"It was really nice."

"I wish I had spent more of it with you. I apologize for getting caught up in the things with my mother." I shook my head.

"I don't blame you. I had some things to think about too." Mainly, I had gotten caught up with Klaus. "But somehow, I missed Rebekah. I would have liked to see her."

"My sister spoke quite highly of you and I can assure you, that's not a common thing." I laughed.

"I'm glad she likes me. I like her."

When we arrived in front of my house, Elijah parked the car and walked me to my door. I was glad Elena wasn't home yet. Damon would've been inside flickering the porch light at me.

"Well, Elijah," I began, "thank you so much for tonight. It was… It was everything I thought a date should be." He smiled at me before turning towards me on the porch.

"Thank you for accompanying me tonight. I hope we get to do it again," he said.

"Me too," I replied. "Have a good night." I moved to open my door but Elijah stopped me. I raised my eyebrows at him and he laughed a little, which I thought was uncharacteristic of him. But when he moved toward me, I knew why. He was nervous and actually showing it, for once. I froze when he put one of his hands against my face. He bent down towards me and I barely had the time to register what was happening when he'd pressed his lips against mine. It was quick and he moved away just as fast. I nodded at him, more than a little bashfully before I went inside my house and gasped in shock. I started laughing. I had had my first kiss tonight… and it was with an Original vampire.


	18. Chapter 18

**Hey! I am really sorry for the long wait! I hope you enjoy this chapter. There were a lot of events to get through and certainly some drama. As usual, I own nothing but Vivian. Tell me what you think!**

I went over the events of the night again over and over. This just didn't seem real. I resisted the urge to call Elena immediately, even though I knew she'd definitely want to hear what I had to say. I didn't have to wait long because Elena arrived home as soon as I'd gotten out of my ball gown.

"Elena!" I exclaimed, running down the stairs. "You will never believe what happened!"

I stopped before reaching the bottom of the stairs when I saw Elena's face. The door was open and Stefan was standing on the other side, obviously distraught. Again, I wondered whether he truly had his emotions turned off. It certainly didn't look like it. But I chose not to question it and I moved past them to head to the dining room. "I'll tell you later," I whispered.

I wondered where Damon was but I could only guess that he and Elena had had a row. I had been too concerned with everything going on with me at the ball. I should have, at least, tried to keep up with Damon. He would have a field day when he heard all of this.

"So Esther wants to kill her entire family," Stefan said. I paused. He had said it quietly, almost whispering. They didn't want me to hear what was going on. "How's that for mother of the year?" Elena shushed him and I tried not to move. I needed to hear this.

"Yeah," whispered Elena. I got as close to the hallway as I could without being seen. "I had to look Elijah right in the eye and lie about it." I gasped.

"Can't say I'll be sorry to see any of them go."

"I just signed their death sentences, Stefan."

"No, you signed Klaus' death sentence and that's what everyone wanted. The others are just collateral damage."

"But you realize what this will do to Vivian, don't you?" Oh, now they decide to bring me into it.

"I'm sure everyone would rather she get involved with someone who's not an Original." I decided I couldn't hold back anymore. I emerged from hiding in the dining room and only glared at Elena and Stefan, trying to decide who to be madder at.

"It doesn't actually matter what anyone else wants me to do," I said. "Now what the heck is going on?" I saw the two of them exchange a look and I only raised my eyebrows.

"This family has brought the both of you nothing but darkness," said Stefan. "It's the right thing to do."

"How? What is going on?" I asked. I felt myself growing desperate. I knew they were talking about killing all of the Originals, including even Elijah, who had done nothing wrong. I even felt a terrible pang at Klaus. And Rebekah. How did Rebekah deserve this?

"When Esther requested to see me," began Elena, "she actually wanted my help to kill her children." My eyes widened. "She views them as abominations and she's sorry that she made them what they are. The reason Esther came back was so she could right her wrong."

"Why did you agree to it, Elena?" I asked. "This isn't like you." But the more and more I thought about it, the more I realized that it was like Elena. She had changed over the past few months.

"I didn't have a choice. She put my blood in the champagne to link the Originals. She's cast a spell so that if we kill one, they all go down." I choked back a gasp.

"Why didn't you tell me or warn me or something, Elena?" I demanded. "You knew what this meant to me. I cannot believe you!" I knew I was being irrational. I knew there was no possible way she could've warned me without warning everyone else but I was truly hurt.

"If I could've spared Elijah, I would have." I conjured up an image of me accidentally knocking the champagne glass out of Elijah's hand and no one would've been the wiser. Then, unwittingly, I thought of Klaus. I didn't want him to die either.

"I get it," I said. I thought if I argued any further, Stefan would accuse me of being on the Originals' side. While that may be true, I didn't need Stefan wandering around, blabbing that to all of my friends with his switch turned off. "Do you think they know?" Elena shook her head.

"Elijah didn't seem to." She was right that Elijah hadn't acted like anything was wrong but he had to have known.

"I'm just going to go to bed," I responded. "Have a good night, Stefan." I turned and hurried up the stairs without another thought.

This was wrong. But what could I do about it?

I knew nothing about spells and for all I knew, once they were linked, it was a done deal. There wouldn't be any point in warning them when there was nothing anyone could do. Even if I did warn them, Klaus or Rebekah would try to kill Elena before they died. I couldn't figure out what would be the right thing to do.

After running things over and over in my mind on a reel, I eventually fell asleep.

When I woke up the next morning, Elena had already gone over to the Salvatore house and come back. I assume she went over there to inform Damon of what was going on because when I called him to ask him about his night, he seemed a lot nicer than usual.

"Did you and Elena have a fight or something?" I asked, sitting on my bed after getting dressed. I didn't want to face the day but it seemed like I didn't exactly have a choice.

"Maybe we did, maybe we didn't," Damon responded. "But I'm over it."

"Who's the lucky new girl?" He laughed.

"As a matter of fact, Rebekah. It was a bit awkward when Elena saw her walking out of the house this morning."

"Rebekah?" I asked, pausing before saying anything else. "What happened that made her come to you?"

"Oh, that asshole brother of hers… Wait, you don't know which one I'm talking about. Kol decided to try and kill Matt at the ball so Matt rejected her." I winced.

"I don't know that I'm a fan of Kol's."

"Finally! The first Original you don't like! But speaking of getting lucky with one, how was your night?" He asked it slyly, like he was expecting me to say that I'd decided to break bad.

"It was nice," I said.

"Come on, Viv. Don't hang back! I want to know it all!"

"You don't want to know it all. You're not Caroline."

"Still, it was your first date. I need to know that it went well so that Alaric doesn't go insane."

"Fine," I sighed into the phone. "It was really great. Wonderful, actually."

"Did he kiss you?" Damon asked. I could tell he was laughing about it.

"It doesn't really matter. But anyway, other than a few things, the night went without a hitch."

"What happened?" Damon already knew what had happened.

"Klaus is really into me, Damon. I told him to stop it but I don't think he will." Not that Klaus was long for this world at any rate but how many times in my life was I likely to be in one of these situations? "I mentioned that I'm not trying to be Katherine." Or Elena. But Damon didn't need to hear that right now.

"Personally, I think the guy's a psychopath and he's trying to buy you off. This isn't me being an overprotective best friend or anything." I groaned. "Okay, maybe it is, but don't you dare mention that to anyone. I have a reputation to uphold." I laughed. "Don't you think it's a little strange that he's started to come onto you? I think this is all about blood, one way or another."

"Surprisingly, I don't."

"That's not surprising coming from you since you want to see the good in everyone. I happen to think that there isn't any good in Klaus."

"So I take it you're completely behind killing every Original?" He groaned at me.

"I swear, Vivian, if you do anything to somehow screw this up-"

"What could I do? The spell has already been cast!"

"You could do something crazy, like _tell_ them and someone could kill you or Elena. Hell, they could kill me and Stefan." I wanted to roll my eyes at him but I knew Damon was right. "You're close with them so I get it, weirdly enough. But you need to think of the consequences… and for what it's worth, I'm sorry." Damon really did sound apologetic but it still didn't make me feel any better.

Bonnie and Caroline had come by because Elena wanted Bonnie to try and recreate a privacy spell that Esther had used. Elena clearly didn't want to bother me and I was actually glad she didn't. Nonetheless, that didn't stop me from trying to eavesdrop. It sounded as though Elena was really beating herself up over killing Elijah. I was glad of it. But I learned that apparently the spell had to be done that night, while the moon was full.

I wanted to go about the day and pretend that nothing was happening but I didn't have the chance. After I ate some breakfast, I heard the doorbell ring. Bonnie and Caroline had already left so I assumed it wasn't them.

I opened the door without thinking and I almost gasped when I saw Elijah on the other side. My heart immediately started pounding. "Vivian," he said.

"Elijah, hey," I responded. I kept my hand on the door, like I was ready to close it. I prayed that Elijah wasn't as into heartbeats as Klaus seemed to be.

"I don't mean to intrude," he said. "I was wondering if you and your sister might accompany me. I want to show you something." I nodded.

"Of course," I said before calling for Elena. I felt my hands beginning to shake. There was something incredibly odd about this. I wouldn't have found it strange if he had only asked for me but wanting to include Elena raised a few red flags.

Elena seemed better equipped to deal with this than I was so I allowed her to do most of the talking. I mentioned that I hadn't slept very well which certainly wasn't a lie.

When we arrived in the middle of the woods, I thought that Elijah had brought us out here to kill us in a final act of revenge. I needed to calm down. If I really thought about it, I knew that wasn't what was going on. Elijah had to know that I had nothing to do with this. I'd been out in the open for the majority of last night. He even seemed pleasant right now.

This forest was old too. Elijah seemed to know it's lay out. Maybe he just wanted to talk about burial grounds and the fact that our school was built over a Native American village. But then, he wouldn't have brought Elena.

He kept close to me as I walked, even though I seemed to be dragging my feet. When we reached a break in the trees, I finally turned to Elijah.

"Do you know this place?" he asked me. I wracked my brain because I was certain I did. Then it hit me.

"There are some caves below us," I said. He nodded.

"I used to play in that cavern as a boy. It connects to a system of tunnels that stretch across the entire area." He was entirely right. But why show us this? Something wasn't adding up. I made a face at Elena and I hoped she understood.

"Elijah, we should probably be getting back," I said. He turned and looked at me then.

"I admire you, Vivian, you and Elena. You both remind me of qualities I valued long before my mother turned us." I breathed out. It was quite the compliment but I didn't know where this was going and that scared me. "Elena, it's not in your nature to be deceitful and yet when I asked about your meeting with my mother, you lied to my face." My heart seized up and Elijah turned his eyes on me again. I had betrayed Elena by being nervous, hadn't I? His face all but said it.

"That's not true," said Elena. "I told you that all your mother wanted was a new start."

"I can hear your heartbeat," he replied. "You're not used to lying so it jumps when you're being dishonest and Vivian has been openly nervous this entire time. I might have thought it was a fluke of yours, Elena, but Vivian gave it away." My heart pounded again and I looked over at Elena as I covered my mouth with my hands.

"I'm so sorry," I muttered, not sure who I was directing that at.

"Tell me the truth," he demanded of Elena.

"I never wanted this to happen," she said. "We were told that whatever was gonna be in that coffin would kill Klaus. When we found out that it was your mother, we didn't know what to think."

"Since her return, she said she only wants this family whole again."

"When she asked to see me, I thought that maybe she could help, that she would find a way to kill Klaus." I started pacing nervously. "It's not just Klaus that she wants to kill."

"She wants to kill us all, doesn't she?" I started feeling sick. "She wants to undo the evil she created."

"I wish there was something I could do to help." All of a sudden, I felt cold. There was something really wrong here.

"You know, one thing I've learned in my time on this earth, is to be careful what you wish for."

"Elena!" I exclaimed as Elijah made the ground fall out from beneath her. When she fell, I ran forward and before I was even close to the hole, I slammed into Elijah so hard, I'm sure he would have fallen if he was human.

He pushed me back as I kept trying to get past him, calling out for Elena. I didn't hear her respond and I wondered if she'd been injured in the fall. I stopped squirming long enough for Elijah to move away from me. He was still ready to block me if I decided to run again.

"Elijah, please," I begged.

"Rebekah's got her for safe-keeping," he responded calmly. "She'll be fine… unless she attempts to escape."

"Rebekah will kill her anyway!" I said. He moved forward and made me move toward the car. I felt tears welling up in my eyes. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry about this."

"You had no part in this, Vivian," he said. "Save your apologies."

"What can I do to get Elena back?"

"I need you and the Salvatores to help me stop my mother."

"How?" I asked. He gave me a look.

I called Damon and Stefan to tell them to be waiting for us at home. When Elijah and I got there, I'd managed to pull myself together slightly. I let Elijah tell them the same thing he told me.

"I'm a little embarrassed to admit," said Damon, "but when it comes to killing thousand year old resurrected witches, I'm a little rusty."

"Yes, unfortunately even when killed, my mother doesn't seem to want to stay dead, not with the spirits of nature at her side." I was only looking at Elijah in horror, like I'd been doing all afternoon.

"So what are we supposed to do?" asked Stefan.

"The witches that released my mother, she's drawing her power from their bloodline. That line needs to be broken."

"Are you suggesting we kill one of them?" I asked.

"You know, I'd do it myself but I've absolutely no idea where they are." I knew Elijah was desperate but this was bad. "Besides, seeing me, they'd immediately know my intent. They won't expect to be harmed by the likes of you." I put my hand over my mouth again to hold in a gasp. "In any case, you have until six minutes after 9pm to find them."

"Oh, how super specific of you," said Damon.

"By 9:07, the moon will be full. My mother will have the power she needs to kill me and my family."

"So you're going to kill mine," I said.

"Precisely. If you do not stop her before then, Rebekah will kill Elena." I turned away from him in disbelief. "So we all have our timeline. I suggest you get started." Elijah brushed past me on his way out, not even sparing me a glance.

Damon looked at me pitifully but then snapped back to Stefan. "We need to brainstorm a plan."

"We need to call Bonnie," said Stefan. "There's gotta be a way for her to stop Esther from channeling all that power."

"Bonnie and her mom are on Esther's side," I said.

"She could be with Esther right now," said Damon. "I don't know how any of this stuff works and neither do you."

"Do either of you have a better plan?" I shrugged.

"Worst case scenario, simple mechanics; you can't draw power from a dead battery."

"God, this will never work," I muttered. "You can't kill Bonnie!"

"No, but we can kill her mom. If we kill one, the line is severed, right?" asked Stefan.

"If it works like common sense then yeah."

"Still, there has to be another way. If Elena gets out of there, she'll be furious."

"Well, what if I told you, I had a less diabolical plan?" asked Damon, holding up a dagger.

"You want to dagger Elijah?" I asked.

"Well, they're all linked. One goes down, they all go down. The witches live. Elena's safe. Problem solved."

"Those daggers don't work on Klaus."

"Ironically, Klaus isn't our current problem and if we keep him distracted, he'll be none the wiser." Damon's gaze turned to me and I shook my head.

"I cannot lie about what's going on to him."

"Fine, don't. It's not like he doesn't want to spend time with you anyway. It's looking like your new boyfriend is a real piece of work."

"He's desperate." It wasn't the time to defend Elijah and even trying to left a bad taste in my mouth. I understood he was between a rock and a hard place but he didn't need to guarantee Elena's death.

"Well, if we send Vivian to Klaus, who will dagger someone? The daggers are lethal to a vampire that uses them," said Stefan.

"I know someone crazy enough to try it," said Damon. I knew it must be Alaric. "Klaus and Kol are at the Grill. Get a move on, Vivian. We're gonna try to divide and conquer."

I didn't like the idea but I knew there was no way around it. I needed to get Klaus away from Kol and to do that, I was going to do a lot on faith.

I walked into the Grill, so nervous that I could almost smell it on me. I walked by the bar to get to where Alaric and Meredith were standing. That's when I heard my name. "Vivian." I turned, my heart pounding, to look up at the bar. I kept telling myself to keep it together but when I saw Klaus, I almost lost it. He was sitting on a stool beside Kol, the rude vampire who looked so much like Elijah that I almost had to double take.

"Hey, Klaus," I said. "How are you?" I stopped for a moment, long enough that he'd ask me what I was doing or what I was up to. That's what Damon had told me to do.

"I'm great, love," he responded. "Would you care to join us for a drink?" He gestured to the chair beside him. Even if this hadn't been a life-or-death situation, I wouldn't have taken him up on it. I was fairly certain Kol didn't like me. Right now, he was looking at me like I was dinner. Klaus followed my gaze over to him so I spoke.

"I actually just came by to give Alaric some papers to grade," I said. "Maybe another time." I walked off before I started shaking. I played the part of handing a manila folder to Alaric and he nodded at me. I nodded back before walking out of the Grill.

I was positive that the plan hadn't worked until Klaus emerged right behind me.

"Vivian," he said as I crossed the street. I turned back, nearly in shock. "Does Kol frighten you?" When he reached me, my breath caught in my throat. I didn't know how long I would be able to keep this up. "I couldn't help but notice that you seem… unnerved." I nervously laughed.

"Well, he certainly doesn't seem to like me," I said.

"Kol doesn't like anyone." I tried to laugh but I just couldn't fake it.

"Is something the matter?" Klaus actually seemed concerned for me. "Is it my elder brother?" he asked jokingly. I nodded.

"Yes, you could say that." I couldn't lie, not when he actually seemed worried.

Klaus made a face and sat on one of the many benches on the sidewalk. Reluctantly, I sat down beside him. It was strange that right now, Klaus seemed like the nicer brother. "Well, he can be somewhat unemotional." I nodded.

"Yes, he can." Sitting down, we were at eye level and I felt like I was a little too close to Klaus.

"You might be quite happy that I haven't given up yet."

"You haven't?" I asked slowly. He shook his head. That broke me. It shattered all resolve I had. "I haven't been totally honest right now." I started in on the story of what had happened, leaving out nothing, even details I'm sure Klaus didn't care about, like Elijah completely ignoring me when he left the Salvatore house.

Klaus was fuming by the end and I didn't know if he was angry with me or with his mother. Before he had the chance to respond, I saw him put his hand to his chest and gasp. "Are you okay?" I asked.

"What did you do?" he demanded. Me, he was definitely angry with me.

"Alaric daggered Kol," I said.

"Stay here," he told me and vampire-speeded off. For once, I didn't listen.

When I reached the area behind the Grill, I saw Klaus about to face off with Damon. When I moved to tell him to stop, I felt someone at my side. It was Elijah.

"Leave him, Niklaus," he said from beside me. "We still need him." I tried to look angry instead of worried but I had a feeling that it wasn't working. Elijah still seemed to be ignoring me and I watched as he descended the stairs towards Damon. "Tell me where the witches are or I'll have Rebekah kill Elena right now."

"Do it, Damon," I said. I had no idea where they were and maybe neither did Damon but at this point, I no longer cared.

"Well, you told me we had until after 9," said Damon.

"I'm sure Rebekah would be more than happy to start her work early," said Elijah.

"The old witch house!" I said. "That's where they'll be." I wasn't sure but it was a good guess. The Bennetts were tied to the spirits at that house, whether they were gone now or not.

Klaus was looking at me, almost in disbelief and when Elijah turned, he had a grim smile on his face. "Well, Vivian, I do believe you can go on home," said Elijah. "Damon and Stefan can take it from here."

I nodded but stayed where I was as Damon and Stefan walked past me. Elijah came next, giving me a look that made me feel like he couldn't quite see me. Klaus waited until Elijah was farther away before he decided to leave. I backed up against the stair railing and pressed my hand to my chest. When Klaus reached me, he grabbed my hand in his.

"He's trying to distance himself from you," Klaus said. "There's a very good chance that this might not work." I nodded.

"I hope it does," I responded. I squeezed his hand before letting it go and heading home.

I was glad to be inside my house, where most vampires couldn't get inside, but I was worried sick until the front door opened revealing Elena. I broke down in tears when I saw her and hugged her to me. Elijah had kept his word and Stefan and Damon must've pulled through. I didn't care how they did it. I was just happy that they had.

I decided to pretend that the day hadn't happened, hard as that may be to do. I had seen a side of Elijah that I had known he had but that I never thought he'd use on me. Maybe everyone was right and that I ought to set my sights on someone who wasn't an Original.

I moved to go to bed and paused when I saw an envelope sitting on my pillow. It had my name on it and I could only guess what was inside. I opened it to find that it was from Elijah.

"Vivian, today I did things I abhor in order to protect the one thing I value most, my family. You have always understood that sentiment. Know that I am truly sorry for hurting you. Your kindness and compassion are gifts. Carry that with you as I will carry my regret. Always and forever, Elijah."

I sucked in my breath to keep myself from crying again. I knew he was sorry and somehow, that made me feel much better about the whole thing.


	19. Chapter 19

**Sorry for the long wait! My laptop has been on the fritz for weeks! But okay, this chapter is sort of intense. I've been excited about writing this chapter since I first saw these couple of episodes. So I really hope you enjoy it. Please tell me what you think! I own nothing but Vivian.**

The next day, I awoke to a message from Damon telling me that Alaric had been arrested for the murders cropping up all over town. I wanted to scream how preposterous that was because I was certain that Alaric had an alibi for at least two of the murders and the other attempted one had been himself. I called Damon while he was clearly still at the station.

"Can you do anything about this?" I asked. I could practically hear him shrug.

"Nutty ol' Dr. Fell seems to think that Ric could've stabbed himself to throw everyone off the trail," Damon responded. "I don't think Sheriff Forbes honestly believes he did it but she doesn't have a lot to go on… and as much as I hate to say it, it sounds like Ric is having memory lapses." I groaned.

"This is absolutely ridiculous!" I exclaimed. "What can we do?"

"Liz has told me to stay out of it in no uncertain terms and that seems like as good as a plan as any. The truth will out!"

"Well, if anything comes up or you find something out, would you give me a call? I know I can't do anything but… I just want to know." Believe it or not, Alaric was a member of my family and Elena and Jeremy felt the same way. Jeremy may not be in town but Elena and I were and Ric was our responsibility.

"What's on your agenda for the day?" I shrugged.

"I have a couple of things to take care of but other than that, nothing."

"You wanna come over later? I'm thinking of doing some digging to help out Alaric with Stefan. I'll tell you whatever I find." I wasn't sure what was at the Salvatore house that could help Ric but I was willing to do anything to keep my wheels spinning. I didn't need to remember what had happened yesterday and I certainly didn't need to focus on Ric being in jail.

"Sure." With that, we hung up and I immediately dialed another number in my phone.

I knew that this was a stupid idea but I kept the phone to my ear and waited for it to pick up. Contacting Elijah after everything that had happened was not going to help me. In fact, it was only going to make me feel like a complete lush and weak-link. But he ought to know that I had received his message. After chanting to myself that I was strong and I wasn't going to falter, Elijah didn't even answer the phone. Maybe that was a blessing. I wouldn't have been able to say anything without my voice quaking anyway and no matter how many times I told myself that I was, a strong person wouldn't even want to contact Elijah.

I went down further in my contacts and called Klaus. I wasn't sure why the need possessed me. Maybe I just needed to know whether Elijah was avoiding me. I don't know.

Klaus answered on the second ring. "Hello, Vivian," he said. "What can I help you with today?" My breath caught in my throat but I sucked it up and talked.

"I'm glad that the plan worked and nobody died," I said.

"Elijah may have gone about it brutally but it did work," he responded.

"That's actually why I'm calling. He apologized to me in a letter and I called to let him know I got it but he didn't pick up. I suppose that's a good thing because I don't really know what I would've said but I guess I'm just wondering whether he's avoiding me?"

"Actually, Vivian, Elijah left town."

"What?" I said in disbelief.

"He along with the rest of my family, excepting Rebekah, have taken off. I suppose he really wasn't happy with the way things between the two of you ended." I couldn't pick out any single emotion from Klaus and I wondered how he felt about everyone leaving town.

"Yes, I'm sure you're right." I hung up a little later on.

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. Damon never called with an update and that night, Elena and Matt came in claiming that they'd broken into Meredith Fell's apartment. I didn't know what to think of that except that I understood they'd had good intentions. Clearing Alaric's name was the most important thing right now. Luckily, he was released and came home.

The main thing of interest that Elena had found in Meredith's things was one of the lost Gilbert journals. I pondered for a minute why on Earth Meredith would have had it. Elena promised to read it and see if anything stuck out.

When I was asleep, I heard Elena come into my room and when she commenced to shaking me, I almost punched her. When I was half-asleep, it was the only time I considered myself dangerous.

"What's going on?" I demanded. When I looked past Elena, I saw Meredith and Alaric. To say that the three of them looked concerned was an understatement. Elena handed me the journal she had been reading earlier.

"I think you need to take off your ring," she said, her voice thick with worry.

"You know I can't do that." She shook her head before looking at Alaric. "I'm sorry but what the heck is happening?" Elena, Alaric, and Meredith did their best to explain what was going on to me but I can't say I repaid their efforts with kindness. "That is absolutely unbelievable. It's not Alaric and it's not me and it has nothing to do with some family heirlooms!" Elena shook her head again.

"Read it," she said, gesturing to the journal. So I did and even though I knew what I would find, I was still shocked.

I went with Elena to take Alaric to get an MRI where Meredith assured us that if the problem was medical, she could fix it. I couldn't bring myself to wrench my ring off my finger just yet. I had barely been able to text Damon and tell him what was going on. When we found out that _physically _there was nothing wrong with Alaric, I started to freak out.

"What do you think it is?" I asked the two of them. "Like an alter-ego type thing?"

"It's possible," replied Meredith. "One thing is for sure; it is something mental."

"Which is why I want you to take off the ring," said Elena.

"I just can't do it," I said. "Not yet. Besides, do you honestly believe the ring drove Samantha Gilbert crazy? What if it has something to do with the amount of times you've been killed?"

"That's another possibility," said Meredith. "And in that case, I'd say that you would be safer with it on for the time being. I understand your worry, Elena, but Klaus or anyone else could walk right up and snap Vivian's neck for no reason… and she would be dead. She wouldn't be coming back. I think it's better to be safe than sorry." I agreed.

I went home and studied in my room while Elena did some research on Samantha Gilbert and Ric and Meredith looked through his file in the dining room. There wasn't anything for me to do and needlessly fretting wasn't going to help anyone, especially not Alaric. We all needed to have a little faith.

My phone rang close to dinnertime and I wasn't surprised to see that it was Damon. "How's it hanging, bff?" he asked. I laughed.

"Just trying to do some schoolwork for once in my life," I responded. "What's on your mind?"

"I think something is up with Rebekah. She's been trying to question me and Stefan about family history and I caught her talking to the mayor at the Grill about something. She and Klaus are looking for something and I need to figure out what it is."

"So where do I come in?"

"I already have a pretty solid plan involving Sage, my friend who's passing through. She apparently had a thing with Finn. Who would've known that that guy could get laid? Anyway, our goal is to distract Rebekah and relax her enough for us to get into her head. I was wondering if you wanted to come over and join us?"

"What do you mean by 'relax her'?"

"I think you know what I mean. But she's not exactly fond of Sage and she happens to like you, for whatever reason." I scoffed.

"Are you asking me to join in an orgy? Because if that's the case, count me out."

"No, not an orgy. More like a make-out party with some hate sex with Rebekah."

"Damon, we're close but we're not that close."

After hanging up with him, my phone went off again and I rolled my eyes. The powers that be were completely against me succeeding in school. I saw that it was Klaus and I frowned. This was weird. As it turned out, he just wanted to hang out with someone, which, like I thought, was pretty weird. A man who basically had people fawning over him all the time was wanting to hang out with me. I would never get used to the idea that a big bad vampire like Klaus wanted to be around me, by all accounts, an innocent and naïve teenager.

I agreed to it only because I wanted to get my mind off of Alaric. If we sat on the porch for five hours, so be it. I found that I was actually excited about doing this.

When I got downstairs, Elena was heading over to Alaric's apartment to grab his wedding ring. Bonnie thought she might be able to help him with a spell and she needed a personal effect, something he wore before getting the ring. Elena volunteered to go and come right back. Meredith got a page from the hospital, saying she was needed in surgery. I shrugged. I could stay with Alaric for a little while. Klaus wasn't coming by for at least thirty minutes and it gave me time to come up with an excuse to explain why he would be coming over at all.

Before Meredith left, she handed me two syringes filled with tranquilizers.

"I don't think I can use these," I said. She gave me a knowing look.

"You're stronger than people give you credit for. You can use it if the situation arises," she replied. I nodded. I couldn't let her down. It sounded like Meredith had an awful lot of faith in me and I had to admit, that really made me feel good.

Once they left, Alaric collapsed onto the couch and groaned. "I don't need a babysitter, Viv," he said. "If you had plans, go on."

"I didn't have any plans," I said, setting the needles down on a side table. It wasn't that obvious, was it?

"Well, you look a little dressed up so I figured."

"I'm not dressed up," I snapped. He raised his hands like he was in a stick-up.

"I promise I won't Damon." I sighed.

"Klaus may or may not be coming by. I think he feels a little guilty for how things went the other day with his mother and Elena… and Elijah." Alaric nodded. "Any advice on how to approach this? I've never exactly been in a love triangle before." He laughed.

"For it to be a love triangle, there has to be some 'love' there. I get you have feelings for Elijah, weird as that may be, but are you implying what I think you're implying?" I shook my head viciously.

"No. No, of course not. I'm just… You know, he could kill everyone if I make him angry… And there's no reason not to hang out with him, right?" Alaric started laughing again.

"I think you have every reason not to hang out with him but you're not stupid enough to tell him that. More than that, I think you want to." I blanched and shook my head again. "You're a terrible liar, Vivian."

"This is between me and you, okay?" He nodded. "I'm thinking about making some coffee. Would you want some?"

"You know what, sure. I'm about half asleep now." I nodded and laughed. I was feeling the same way.

After jiggling the coffee machine into finally working, I looked around the kitchen for something to eat. It might help calm my nerves.

"Ric," I called, "are you hungry?"

"Maybe," he groaned back. I heard him get up from the couch.

"I know you're tired so it's okay if you want to pass! I've never been good at anything except baking so we're in for a hard night anyway." He arrived in the doorway and put his hand on the counter. At least he seemed a little more relaxed than he had earlier. "So what are you in the mood for?" Ric shrugged at me.

"Actually, I was wondering if I could ask you something." I shrugged.

"Shoot!" I responded.

"Aren't you the older twin?" I nodded.

"By two minutes. It's not exactly what I consider 'older' but yeah, technically, I was born first. I'm not even sure how the hospital knows something like that when we were dropped off on the doorstep. Why?"

"You could technically be on the Founders Council. You're eighteen, you're the oldest, technically, you're the figurehead of the family." I raised my eyebrows.

"I've never really thought of it that way. I may take my spot on the council once I'm out of high school but I don't really know." He moved forward and walked around the island.

"But the council was created to protect the humans of this town from the vampires and you wouldn't want to do that, would you?" I made a face.

"Well, I have to say that I think the council is lacking on that front. But they still eradicate bad vampires."

"Aren't all vampires bad?"

"Ric, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Vivian… but I don't think that you are." I moved backwards when Ric moved toward me. My back hit the corner of the counter and Alaric slowly grabbed one of the kitchen knives. I made a noise that resembled a whimper when I finally realized what was going on. "You see, you put vampires above your own family, even defending ones that have killed the people closest to you. My hope was that you could join me in this but I can see that wasn't the best idea."

"Ric, please," I said. "This isn't you." He flipped the knife in his hand and I felt behind me on the counter for something, anything to stave him off. Meredith was right. I could tranquilize him. My hand found a plate and I gripped it when Alaric moved toward me. I slammed it down on the side of his head, hoping it was enough to knock him out as I heard it shatter. He slashed at me and I moved quick enough that the knife only snagged the side of my leg. I shrieked and tried to run down the hallway. I looked toward the side table I had laid the syringes on and saw that Alaric had drained them before ever entering the kitchen.

The pause was long enough for him to catch up to me and he cut me across the back. I screamed again and turned to at least push him back. Ric managed to get me in the hip before I scratched his neck, leaving marks so deep that blood seeped out of them. He yelled and backed off.

I clutched my hip and managed to make to the front porch before collapsing. Blood poured over my hand as I fell to my knees and then onto my left side. When Ric walked outside, I sobbed and scrambled to move back from him. Wetness seeped down my back and I knew that none of the cuts were small. But none of them seemed bad enough to threaten death either.

"Please, Ric, you know me. You know I'm not a bad person," I muttered. He only shook his head. I moved back farther, leaning on my elbows, and I sobbed again. This wasn't Ric. This could not be Ric. I hadn't really believed it and now, when I was on the verge of death, I knew he was guilty. I was lucky that I wasn't in his position.

Alaric bent over me and my arms gave out, leaving me flat on the porch, open to any method of his attack. I saw blood smeared all around me; my blood. My hand reached out, trying to find something to knock him away from me, but I knew it was futile. I was alone and Ric was gone.

Alaric showed no emotion as he moved closer to me. I made to scream in a last attempt but he slapped his hand over my mouth, smothering my cries. My eyes widened as I saw him raise the knife and I tried my best to yell when it entered my chest cavity. His hand left my mouth and I choked out a noise that sounded like nothing human. Ric pressed his hand down on my shoulder as he twisted the knife. I screamed then, louder than I had ever screamed in my life. I knew it hit something; my heart, a lung, something. My mouth filled with blood and I felt it run over my lips. I was choking on it. I heard my heartbeat slow as Alaric ripped the knife out.

The pain filled my head to the point of delusion and I gasped, coughing, as Alaric moved to enter the house again. My hands moved over my chest, trying to put pressure where pressure was due, but I knew it was over. The pain wasn't so bad anymore and that was almost always a sign of death.

Alaric. Why was it Alaric? I knew it wasn't actually him but it was. I couldn't see anything but his face as he hammered that knife into my chest. I sobbed again.

Maybe I should've taken Damon up on that orgy offer after all.

My eyelids felt heavy so I closed them for a minute. Would Elena find me like this? I would never wish that on anyone. Maybe it would be Damon. I would like for it to be Damon.

Then I heard something. Sure that it was something ushering me to the other side, I didn't open my eyes. But then something grabbed me, pulling me off the floor. I cracked my eyes open long enough to see that it was Klaus. I had forgotten he was coming. I think he was talking to me but I couldn't really hear it and I would rather be asleep so I shut my eyes again. I felt him pull me into his arms and my head hit his chest. Then I felt him touch my chin long enough to separate my lips and a thick liquid hit my tongue.

Seconds later, my eyes flew open and I shook. I was fine. I gasped and I finally understood where I was. A grip tightened on my left arm and I knew my head was leaning against something that wasn't the floor.

"Vivian, are you alright?" I gasped again when I heard who it was. I felt myself start shaking. "What happened?" I shook my head. I couldn't say it. I couldn't bring myself to say what had happened… and who had done it to me.

Klaus moved to help me up and I let him. Was I in shock? I looked down at my bloodstained hands that were shaking so badly, I had to wrap them around myself to make them stop. My clothes were stuck to me everywhere and when I looked over my shoulder, I saw that my blood was dripping off the side of the porch.

Klaus moved in front of me and my eyes widened. He gave me a sympathetic look. He had been worried about me. He had saved my life. "Do you want to sit down?" he asked. I shook my head.

I moved my hands from burying into my sides and I wrapped my arms around Klaus so fast that I barely registered that I had moved. "Thank you," I said. "Thank you so much." I knew my fingers were digging into his back, I was so scared, but Klaus didn't seem to care. He held me back and it made me feel so secure that I stopped shaking for a while. I buried my head in the nape of his neck and clutched at his back hard to leave marks on a normal person. When my grip finally loosened, Klaus moved a little back from me.

I felt my body go back to shaking. Shock. I was definitely in shock.

"I take it you don't wish to be alone," Klaus said. I shook my head again. "Do you want me to come in with you?" I could tell there was no ulterior motive to it. He wasn't looking for a way into the house. He truly wanted to help me.

"No, please," I said. "I can't go in there. I can't. Something's wrong with… Something's wrong with Ric." My voice broke when I said his name. "I can't go in there, please." Klaus only nodded after glancing back in the house.

"I think you're in shock." I nodded and wrapped my arms around myself again. I made myself look off the porch, away from my bloodstains. "Would you like to come to my house? I could help you get cleaned up. I won't leave you alone." I nodded at him.

I let Klaus take my hand and lead me to his car. I'm not sure how I got to his house. I don't remember much about the ride there, other than my hands fumbling with the seatbelt lock. Once there, I let Klaus lead me inside the house and I moved in a daze when he led me to the shower in his room and helped me in, clothes and all.

I scrubbed the skin on my hands so hard that they turned red. I worried that the bottom of the shower would be stained forever. Klaus left me for a minute so that I could change into some of Rebekah's clothes. I peeled off my bloody dress and sweater, trying not to start crying again. After I threw them away, I pulled on the change of clothes Klaus had left for me. They were a little casual for Rebekah, probably lounge clothing, but they smelled good and they felt warm.

I stepped out into the room and I saw Klaus pacing around waiting for me. "Thank you," I said again. "I really appreciate this."

"Can you tell me what happened?" he responded. I closed my eyes for a moment before nodding. I relayed the story slowly as I sank onto his bed. He sat beside me and let me get it out before saying anything. Even then, when I thought he would snap and do something to scare me further, he didn't. All he said was, "I'm going to call Elena for you." When my eyes widened in horror, he shook his head at me. "I won't let her take you home tonight, alright?" I nodded.

I couldn't be there. I couldn't see Alaric yet. I was in shock. I knew I was in shock. I even heard Klaus say on the phone to Elena, "She's scared and she's in shock. She doesn't need to be home right now." I wrapped my arms around myself again once he got off the phone.

"She said your friend Alaric also tried to kill a doctor who came by after I took you here," Klaus told me. I raised my hand to my mouth to stifle a sob. It was Meredith. "She's fine though. Stefan took care of her."

"That's good. That's really good. Thank you for calling her," I said.

"Damon will come get you tomorrow," he said. I took a deep breath and felt myself calm down a little.

"You haven't been yourself," I replied.

"Neither have you, love. But near death does that to a person." I nodded. "I'm of a mind that you need some sleep."

"Oh, I don't know." He made a face at me that helped put me further at ease.

"Oh, yes."

"I don't want to be alone."

"Well, that request I can fulfill."

"Thank you," I said. He looked at me pitifully before helping me into the bed. Normally, I would've protested sleeping in his bed. I was always fine on the couch. But today, I accepted it. My head hit the pillow and I was already fighting to keep awake.

Klaus jumped onto the other side of the bed and laid on top of the covers while I was beneath them. I moved my arm out from under them and grabbed his hand quickly. Klaus looked at our linked hands before looking back at me and I felt a pain in my chest. Not a physical pain but something that made my heart pound. I saw the corner of Klaus' mouth perk up in a smile and minutes later, I was finally asleep.


	20. Chapter 20

**Hey guys! I really want to thank ya'll for reading and reviewing. I mean, it's amazing the amount of support I get for this fic and I really appreciate it. I look forward to hearing from you every time I post. But anyway, onto the fic. I'm struggling with making Vivian become completely on the Originals' side so please bear with me. Eventually, she will get there… particularly with some of the events in season four (coughJeremyandKolcough). So as usual, I own nothing but Vivian!**

When I woke up, I almost jumped out of my skin. The grogginess of sleep confused me as to where I was and it took me a minute to relax again. My eyelids felt like they were wired shut and I figured that was a sign to stay asleep. I turned a little and realized that my arms were holding something. I opened one eye, almost angry at myself because why on Earth did it matter? Sleep was more important. But when I realized what it was, I officially woke up.

It all flooded back to me. I had fallen asleep holding Klaus's hand. When I woke up, I had moved to clutching his arm. God, this was so embarrassing. Raising my head off the pillow, I realized Klaus was asleep too. If I moved too much, would he wake up? What was the worse of two evils? At the end of my long argument with myself, I decided to go back to playing possum.

My head hit the pillow again and I closed my eyes. My hands settled against the fabric of his shirt and I chanted to myself to go back to sleep. Hey, I'd wanted that anyway. Instead, my mind wandered to what had happened the night before.

How was I supposed to go back to living in the same house with Alaric? I had been knocking on death's door last night. I had been halfway there. I had had an inner monologue about who I wanted to find my body. Speaking of which, how am I supposed to get over the fact that I was battered and sliced open in one second and completely fine the next? I bet Klaus had gotten a good look at my ribcage. I mean, there was no way of showing that it had even happened to me.

My brain flashed to Alaric leaning over me and clamping his hand over my mouth. I unwittingly shuddered and grabbed hold of Klaus's arm, knowing I was pulling him closer to my chest, like I'm sure I'd been doing all night. I couldn't face Ric. There was just no way. In fact, I wasn't even sure I could get up out of this bed. I just needed to sleep. I needed to not think.

I felt the bed move and I froze, my heartbeat speeding up. _Come on, Vivian, calm down_, I told myself. I made my fingers unclasp and slowed my breathing. I was not an idiot. If Klaus truly was waking up, I would give myself away through my pulse.

If someone had asked me at my 18th birthday party whether I actually believed I would be in this situation, I would have hurt myself laughing.

The bed moved again and I felt his arm move a little closer to me. Against my better judgment, I held my breath. I knew my personal space was being invaded and I squeezed my eyes shut. I knew I would open them and blow this cover. But turns out, all Klaus wanted to do was try to wake me up. He touched my arm and pushed at it a little. He barely touched me to do it.

I cracked my eyes open and looked over at Klaus. He was grinning like a Cheshire cat. I looked down and realized he had never pulled away from me. I felt my face get hot as I practically jumped to get out of this absolutely humiliating position.

"I am so sorry," I muttered, pushing myself off the bed and out from under the covers. I wanted to say more but I didn't know what I could say that would possibly make me feel like less of an idiot.

"It was fine by me, love," Klaus responded, standing like me. I nodded. I was sure that it was. I had to remind myself that Klaus was actually interested in me. It was the main reason he had even been coming by my house.

I tried smoothing down my hair absentmindedly. I knew that my curly hair had probably afro-ed out the way it normally did when I was at home. I just wanted to crawl into a hole. If this was Damon then it would be totally fine. He could tease me about it but I wouldn't take it seriously. Then it occurred to me that I should be asking myself why I'm taking _this_ so seriously. Klaus isn't all that different from Damon, now that I think about it. He's just an enhanced version of Damon, with more family and a lot less control. So suffice it to say, Klaus understands that I almost died last night but he's trying to lighten the mood and get me to relax. That's what Damon would do, isn't it?

But I couldn't shake being nervous and though I wanted to blame it on still being weirded out by the night before, I knew it was something else. And that something else was going to have to be thought about later.

I felt my hands knot in my hair and I felt my face get red again.

"Well, you'll probably hear this from me a hundred times but I just want to thank you again for doing… what you did," I said. Klaus held his hands behind his back and pursed his lips while nodding. "You saved my life… and you didn't have to do it so I, uh, just wanted to say thank you. I know I wasn't easy company." He shrugged.

"You were better than most," Klaus responded. I made myself laugh but it just sounded awkward. "I would offer you something to eat but I'm sure Damon is knocking on our door right now." Almost on cue, the doorbell rang and Klaus raised his hands in the air. I smiled then because Damon was so completely predictable and Klaus had figured him out within a minute of being in Mystic Falls. I heard the front door open from here. Rebekah must be home.

"I'd like to make it up to you though, Klaus," I said. "I mean, you did something for me that I probably can't ever repay but I feel like I owe you." I knew I did but as soon as the words were out of my mouth, I regretted them. I didn't know how he was going to take me saying that I owed him. That may be one of the stupidest things I could've done and it scared me.

But Klaus shook his head. "You owe me nothing. Just don't stay around that Alaric anymore." I nodded. I was worried about facing Ric but I had no doubt that I would never live with him again. The risk would just be too high and there would always be the chance that no one would be around when he would turn. He's tried to kill me once and the next time, he could succeed. "But if you're insistent then there is one thing." That jolted me from my thoughts. This is what I had been worried about.

"Sure," I said. "What is it?" I looked at my fingernails to pretend to be casual but once I saw the blood embedded in my cuticles, I shuddered and crossed my arms. I did not need to see that.

"I suspect that Elijah will come around again soon but you could make it up to me by letting me take you on a date." He was smirking like he was expecting the shock that colored my face. My heart pounded and my fingers dug into my arms. This was not happening.

"Okay," I practically whispered. "I'll do it." Klaus nodded almost bashfully. I tried to smooth down my hair again but I made myself smile and it was surprisingly easy to do.

"Well, I'll go greet Damon and you can freshen up." He had clearly seen that I had been inching toward the bathroom this entire time and when he left the room, I dashed into the bathroom and shut the door. My heart was pounding so fast, I was worried it might stop beating altogether.

I was completely stupid for agreeing to this, wasn't I? Because that "something else" I'd pushed to the back burner earlier was precisely the reason why I shouldn't have agreed. But what harm could come of it? Elijah and I had left off on a bad place no matter how you looked at it and I owed Klaus my life. Yes, he had killed my aunt Jenna and was ultimately responsible for my uncle John's death because he wouldn't have linked himself with Elena for anything less than the situation she was in. But Klaus could sometimes be halfway decent and that was the part of him that everyone seemed to be ignoring. Maybe I could help by getting him on our side. It had to be a possibility.

I shook myself of those thoughts and focused back on the situation at hand. I looked at myself in the mirror for all of a minute before splashing my face with cold water. I may have been completely, physically healed but there were dark circles under my eyes like I hadn't slept at all when I knew I had been practically unconscious. I was the definition of traumatized. I combed through my hair with my fingers and did everything that I could within in a five minute time frame to make myself look decent. It wasn't my best but it certainly wasn't my worst.

When I got downstairs, I saw Damon, Rebekah, and Klaus standing in a heated looking triangle. The minute Damon opened his mouth, I understood why.

"Look, Rebekah, if you wanted more sex, you could've just asked." I looked at Rebekah and gagged. She laughed at that.

But when Damon caught sight of me, he dropped his snarky façade and pulled me into a hug so sharp, I thought he might fracture my spine. But I didn't mind it. I hugged him back like I hadn't seen him in ages. Damon dropped our hug only to put his hands on either side of my face and look down at me. It was then that I knew that I had made the best choice I could possibly make in a best friend. Damon and I are a perfect pair and even though we'd both deny it, we love each other.

"Are you okay?" he asked, studying my face for any signs that I wasn't. I nodded against his hands.

"I am totally fine. I would just rather forget about it," I said. He nodded and moved away from me, which let me get a better look at Klaus and Rebekah.

"Oh God, Vivian, you are so lucky. Ric is so sorry. I don't think he'll ever get over it. Though I must say, looks like you held your own. He's got some mean scratches on his neck and I doubt they're from Dr. Fell." I mustered a smile at that. Damon was proud of me and that meant something. "But anyway, Bonnie's done a little spell to try to keep Ric's alter ego at bay and I'm keeping him on house arrest at the loft until further notice." I nodded.

"Probably a good idea," I said, twisting Jeremy's ring around my finger.

"Well, we better get back before Elena has a conniption. Thanks again, Klaus." Damon paused and made a face. "Oh God, saying that has left a terrible taste in my mouth." I saw Klaus smirk in response and Rebekah looked like she wanted to laugh but she wasn't going to give Damon the satisfaction.

Damon made to leave but I told him to wait a second. I turned to Klaus and pulled him close the way I had the night before. I hugged him and said, "Thank you… again." I felt him nod against me and I pulled away before my heart started pounding. "I'll see you later, Rebekah." She nodded but I could tell something else was going on.

The minute the front door shut behind us, Damon turned to me and said, "You are too smart to be seduced by Klaus, Vivian." I raised my eyebrows. So he'd heard Klaus and I's conversation… and he was saying it where he knew Klaus could still hear him.

"I don't know that I am," I whispered at him before walking to Damon's blue car. I heard Damon's jacket rustle as he threw up his arms.

"You've got to be kidding me. Did he drug you? Did he compel you? What the hell happened?"

"You know what happened, Damon," I said, snapping my head back at him. "He saved my life and he sure as hell didn't have to. He took care of me. He let me into his home. He let me sleep in his bed." Damon raised his eyebrows. "I owe him, Damon. I don't expect you to understand since you would hate Klaus if he told you the sky was blue but he's been kind to me."

"He's nuts, Viv," hissed Damon, gesturing at his car, "and as much as I'm grateful that he made sure that you lived to see another day, he is an Original. Actually, more than that, he's a hybrid and he uses your blood to make more like him." I knew what he was insinuating and I narrowed my eyes. "Besides, I would hope that any person with an eighteenth of goodness left in them would've taken pity on you and healed you."

"But no one else was there, Damon. No one." Damon pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose.

"Let's just talk about this once we get you home." I nodded. I couldn't tell which of us was winning this argument and I almost didn't care but I knew that Rebekah and Klaus were listening to us. But once inside the car, Damon spilled. "Look, Rebekah is probably pretty pissed right now and Klaus will be too when he hears, if he hasn't already. There was another white oak tree. That's what Rebekah was trying to find out; whether it had been cut down, where it was, all that stuff. Turns out they were building the Wickery Bridge out of it but stupid Sage, who I thought was my friend, told Rebekah and she burned the whole supply." I was practically relieved to hear that but I would never admit that to Damon.

"But why would she tell Rebekah? I thought you said she hated her. I thought she was working with you."

"She was," he responded. "But her precious Finn was too important to her and the minute she figured out the Originals were still linked, she blabbed. I thought we were all screwed until I realized that the historical sign for the bridge is made out of the same wood." I gulped.

"The other white oak tree that can kill an Original?"

"Yep… and I plan to start with Finn."

"Damon, has it ever occurred to you that maybe this vendetta you have against the Originals is a little… over the top?" Damon slanted his eyes at me.

"I swear to God, Vivian, you are not gonna guilt trip me about this. You can't. We'll all be better off once they're in the ground."

"They're not all bad, Damon. You know Elijah isn't." Damon scoffed.

"Yeah, right. That guy has threatened your life and Elena's way too many times for me to count and he's supposedly the 'good' brother. Then there's Klaus, who I think is pretty self-explanatory. There's Rebekah, who is basically a female version of Klaus. There's Kol, who was a complete dick to you and to me and of course, Finn, who's suicidal anyway. Their own mother regretted turning them. Don't you think that's a sign?"

"I think it's a sign that she was a bad parent."

"I've told you before, Vivian, you're being way too nice. You're forgiving Klaus for killing Jenna, for using you. You're forgiving Elijah for tossing Elena underground with his murderous younger sister and make no mistake, he would've killed you if it meant that he and his family would be okay." I knew that and I had certainly never denied that the Originals had faults.

"Well, that makes two of us because I would've killed him for Jeremy or Elena… or you. None of us are perfect, Damon. It doesn't mean that some of us have a right to live and some of us don't."

"Argue with me all you want but it's a done deal… and one day, you'll probably thank me for it."

He dropped me off at home and I went back to bed after being mauled by Elena. She told me that she'd felt something was wrong but she didn't expect anything like what she found. I knew she had scrubbed my blood off the porch herself and that made me shaky again. Somehow, I doubted I would ever be able to move past the fear I had felt last night. The sheer amount of blood that had come out of my body would've filled five blood bags.

Elena went with me to my room and Damon followed on her heels.

"Trust me," I said. "I'm okay. I just need to continue to sleep this off and come to terms with it."

"Alaric is beating himself up over this, Viv," said Elena. I didn't want to think it but it sounded like her tone was reprimanding me for not wanting to talk about it.

"I cannot face him, Elena. Not today and probably not tomorrow. You're going to have to give me some time."

"Ric understands that," said Damon. "But I'm gonna head out and go make sure he hasn't knocked Bonnie out. See ya!"

Elena luckily took a hint and let me be alone. I really didn't want to be but I didn't know how being around Elena or Damon was going to help me get past this with Ric. Neither of them wanted to guilt trip me but I could tell that they already expected me to be back on my feet and normal. Maybe Elena was fine with pretending everything was okay but I wasn't. I had been attacked by a man who I adore and who is technically my guardian. It was going to be hard.

My bed wasn't as comfortable as Klaus's and it didn't smell as good. I tossed and turned for most of the day until I finally gave in and called the one person I wanted to see who wasn't here.

Jeremy didn't pick up the phone but I heard his voice on his voicemail and that helped a little. I left him a message that basically said that he didn't have to call me back but I missed him and loved him.

I somehow pushed myself out of bed the next day and walked out into the woods at a text from Stefan. Elena and I rode together. She had no idea what was going on and I suppose, neither did I but I was an idiot if I believed for a second that this wasn't about the white oak.

Sure enough, it was.

"You have a weapon that can kill Klaus?" asked Elena. Caroline and Matt just stared at the Salvatore brothers in disbelief.

"No," said Stefan. "We all have one." He dropped a sack on the ground in front of us and it opened, revealing at least ten stakes.

"I am not taking one of those," I said.

"Told ya you shouldn't have texted her," muttered Damon.

"Klaus has always been one step ahead of us but now, we have the advantage," said Stefan after giving me a look that all but said how disappointed he was in me. "We're all armed and they are all linked, meaning we only need to kill one of them." I rolled my eyes. "We need to seize the best opportunity which means we need to prepare for every opportunity."

"Is there even a reason you thought it would be a good idea to invite me here?" I asked.

"As a matter of fact, yes," said Stefan. "Rebekah is our target so we'll distract her and catch her off guard. To do that, we need to keep Klaus separate and occupied." I gulped. "That, Vivian, is why I texted you."

"Why?" I asked, my voice practically squeaking.

"Because he is completely obsessed with you," said Damon. "You say you wanna make it up to him for saving your life and instead of saying, 'Aww no, you owe me nothing,' the guy asks you on a date." My face colored and I heard Caroline gasp. Matt looked shocked and Elena just didn't know what to think. "Whoops. Was I not supposed to say that?"

"I am not-"

"Well, we need Matt the quarterback to keep Rebekah distracted."

"How?" Matt groaned.

"Act interested. She's lonely, desperate."

"Clearly," said Caroline. "She slept with you." I laughed with Elena at that.

"But we all have one stake. We keep it hidden and we look out for any opportunity we have," said Stefan.

"No last minute attacks or pity for any of them," said Damon, clearly only talking to me.

"Oh, you don't have to worry about me because I am not taking one," I declared, gesturing at the stakes.

"You just need to be the distraction," said Stefan. He wasn't going to push me because he was not going to jeopardize his opportunity to end Klaus. I wouldn't be surprised if he just locked me and Klaus in a room until it was over.

The day passed slowly. As far as I knew, everyone was just waiting on an opportunity to take down an Original and I was sick to my stomach about it. I knew it was making my friends contemplate where my loyalties lie and I had to admit that I was questioning myself. I had to choose my friends over the Originals because I had known most of them for all my life and I couldn't tell myself to turn on Damon. But still, I knew that I couldn't support them. Elijah would be dead somewhere away from his family and he wouldn't want that. I couldn't help thinking that he had left town because of me and it was because of that that he wasn't with Klaus and Rebekah.

According to Elena, Finn showed up in town with Sage and that was where most of the efforts were concentrated. I went to the Salvatore house to see Damon and discovered only Stefan with an injured Alaric. Rebekah had decided to take revenge for Damon hurting her. After a momentary pause of pure, unadulterated fear at seeing Alaric again, I almost busted out of their house to find Damon.

"You're wishing that you'd taken one of those stakes now, aren't you?" asked Stefan. I couldn't bear to think of what I would have done had I taken a stake.

"I'm going after him," I said. "He would do it for me." Stefan shook his head.

"No," he said. "You're going to stay here and not interfere with the plan." I glared up at him before backing down. "You know this is what Damon would want." I put my hands on my hips and tried my best not to have a breakdown right there in his living room.

"I don't care what he wants, Stefan! The right thing to do is to save him before she kills him!"

"I promise you, Vivian, that when this is over, I will take you with me myself."

I took what I could get. I was no use out on the streets with the rest of the group and I knew that. Besides, I needed to work on my issues with Alaric and now was the perfect time.

Shaking, I sat near him in the study. I bit down on my bottom lip hard enough to make it bleed. For a while, neither of us said anything. I wanted to but my throat felt dry and I kept seeing Alaric leaning over me, ripping me open with a knife from my own kitchen.

"Vivian, I don't know if I'll ever be able to forgive myself," Ric said to me finally. I made myself look at him and shook my head.

"It wasn't you," I said, though my brain was still intent on making me think it was. I was scared enough to bolt. "Ric, you're just gonna need to give me some time. I forgive you and all but I'm still… I'm not okay." He nodded at me then and I knew he'd been expecting my answer.

Caroline came over and gave him a bottle with some herbs in it. Supposedly they were going to control Ric's changes.

It was past nine when Stefan and Elena came home. Finn was dead. I felt a pain in my chest that I tried to make go away but it stayed until Bonnie called Elena. She had been forced to unlink the Originals. I tried not to show my utter relief.

"Stefan," I said, "it's time for you and me to get Damon." He nodded at me, pissed off that his plan hadn't worked. But he was going to take a stake with him to Klaus's, that much I was sure of. I didn't care what he did. I just wanted to get Damon home in one piece without anyone dying.

Stefan and I walked out the front door and the minute it closed behind us, a hand wrapped around my throat and slammed me against the brick wall of the Salvatore boarding house. I tried to scream and I clawed at whoever it was. I didn't recognize the man. He pulled me toward him and then threw me back into the house.

Coughing, I turned and looked over my shoulder. Stefan was on the floor beside me and standing over him was Sage.

"Ding dong," I heard her say. I moved back fast and scrambled to my feet beside Elena.

It wasn't long before Stefan had the upper hand. I raised my eyebrows. Something was severely wrong here. Then I watched as Sage collapsed onto the floor, nose bleeding, and the veins that were the telltale signs of vamp death rose up under her skin. Her companion, who had almost given me a concussion, fell next.

"What exactly is going on here?" I asked. Caroline threw out a few ideas along with Elena but it was Stefan that had figured it out.

"It's the bloodline," he said. "If you kill an Original, you kill their entire bloodline." I breathed another sigh of relief at the fact that they hadn't managed to kill all of the Originals.

"Then that means you would all die," said Elena.

"Vivian, I'm thinking it's time we hit the road."

Elena had insisted she come along but she knew why she couldn't. I had a ring and she didn't. Klaus had a thing for me and according to all sources, he didn't have one for her.

Stefan didn't speak to me on the way there but I pretended like he actually wanted to spend time with me. Stefan hadn't been the same since shaking off Klaus's influence and he wasn't likely to change back on this ride.

He busted open the door to Klaus's mansion and I followed behind Stefan to where Damon was. I gasped when I laid eyes on him. Damon was bear-trapped to the ceiling and was hanging, blood dripping from him. I could only imagine what Rebekah's intentions had been.

I rushed forward and stood in front of Damon for a second, unsure of what to do first. He weakly looked down at me.

"In my head, it was your twin that came but you'll do," he muttered. I tried to smile at him.

"Klaus!" called Stefan. "I'm here!"

"We're getting you out of here, Damon," I said. I tried to reach one of the traps but I just wasn't tall enough to get a good hold on them.

I heard footsteps behind me and I turned, standing in front of Damon. Rebekah and Klaus entered the room. Rebekah stared at me and Klaus looked at Stefan before turning to me.

"Oh, good, Stefan. You're back to playing the hero," he said. "Hello, Vivian," Klaus said when he turned to me. His tone was completely different when he talked to me than when he talked to Stefan.

"Hey," I responded.

"Stefan, what do you want?" Stefan threw down the satchel of stakes.

"I'm here to make a deal," he responded.

"Stefan," muttered Damon, "what are you doing?"

"Don't argue," I said thru my gritted teeth.

"Eight white oak stakes from wood of the Wickery Bridge that you didn't burn," said Stefan. Klaus turned on Rebekah.

"That's impossible!" she said.

"Actually, it's not. Finn's dead."

"You killed my brother?" I turned back to Damon. I did not need to see this.

"Damon in exchange for the last eight weapons that could kill you."

"And how do I know there aren't any more left?" asked Klaus.

"Because there aren't."

"Let's be certain, shall we?" I froze when Klaus walked toward me but I understood that I wasn't the target. Briefly, Klaus moved me to the side with only a little force. I stared over at Stefan in horror. I didn't know what was going to happen here. But the minute that Klaus grabbed Damon's face and looked at him, really looked at him, I knew what was going on. Rebekah had been trying to bleed the vervain out of Damon's system and by the looks of it, she had succeeded. "Go home," he said.

"But we were having so much fun," replied Damon dryly.

"I said, go home." Klaus backed off of him and I saw Damon struggle against his bonds. I covered my mouth with my hands and backed up. Maybe Damon had been right. Maybe Klaus was so insane that he couldn't be saved.

Stefan was steeling himself so I tried to do the same but I hadn't had my emotions turned off. Stefan might still be feeling that. I wondered if he expected me to crack because it was clear that Klaus did. He was looking at me like he figured I would spill at any second and I was close to it when I heard Damon yell. The eight stakes that Stefan was handing over were not all of them and even though he hadn't explicitly told me that, I knew it.

"All right," said Klaus, turning back to Damon. "Stop before you hurt yourself." I let out a breath I didn't even realize I'd been holding. "Well, we've proved that you can finally be compelled and since your brother and your best friend aren't being so talkative, I'll just ask you." Klaus grabbed Damon again. "Now besides the stake that's in my brother, how many more are out there that can kill me?"

Damon groaned in response but said, "Eleven." Klaus made a face.

"Eleven! Really? So not eight then."

"You really shouldn't have lied," said Rebekah.

"We can get you the other three," said Stefan. I wanted to strangle him. Don't bring me into this!

"Yeah, well, that would be nice," replied Klaus. "Or since you lied, maybe I'll just compel your brother to chew his own tongue out."

"What is wrong with you?" I would've found Stefan's response funny in any other situation just because it was a question that I really wanted the answer to.

"What is wrong with _you?_" said Klaus. "Do you really have no appreciation for me? I have given you someone to hate, to loathe; a target for all of your anger so you don't have to turn it on yourself. I have given your life purpose as your friend." Wait, really? Did Klaus really consider himself Stefan's friend? Klaus must really have no one if he wanted to turn to Stefan for friendship. "Actually, I really think you should be thanking me."

Stefan snapped and threw Klaus up against one of the walls, pulling out one of the three remaining stakes. "Stefan, don't!" I shrieked. Klaus had blocked the blow but I felt like pulling Stefan off anyway. Rebekah blocked me and only shook her head.

Stefan knew that killing either one of them could result in his own death, along with Katherine, Damon, and Caroline to name just a few. He didn't have time for these stupid impulses.

"Step down," said Klaus, "or I'll kill you and your brother and I'll take Vivian with me when Rebekah and I leave town." I froze. I should've predicted this. I honestly should have. I looked back over my shoulder at Damon and he only shook his head.

Stefan handed over the stake and Rebekah moved back from blocking me.

"Now you just need to bring me the other two," said Klaus.

"This is ridiculous," Rebekah said to me.

"Tell me about it," I responded. She nodded at me and moved to help Damon.

"What are you doing?" asked Klaus.

I caught Damon when she released one of his arms and when unlatched the other, I fell to my knees under Damon's full weight. "Come on, Damon," I muttered.

"I brought him here," said Rebekah. "I get to release him."

"Thank you," I said to her.

"Don't thank her!" said Damon with as much force as he could muster.

"Bring us the stakes and the three of you will go free," she said. "Take Damon as a sign of good faith." I watched as she picked up the bag Stefan had dropped on the floor and exited the room.

I managed to help Damon to his feet, keeping his arm draped around me. I was able to hold him up and I think it was purely because of the adrenaline that was pumping through me now. Fear was a powerful thing.

"Bring us the stakes then," said Klaus, "or I will wage a war against everyone you love… and I will start with Elena." He had managed to give the three of us the incentive we needed. "I hope I'm being clear."

"Yeah, yeah," said Damon. I shifted and Damon only leaned against me harder.

"Well, I hope you all have a good night." With a nod to me, Klaus left the room.

"Do you still like him after all this?" groaned Damon.

"Are you saying you didn't deserve the torture?" I asked back. He made a face. "I'm just kidding."

But Damon was right. I needed to really sit and think about things. Klaus was like a completely different person sometimes but I knew deep down that this meanness might be his real personality. He could be putting on a façade when he's being nice… but he couldn't be. I think it would be much harder to pretend to be kind than to pretend to be mean. I think the logical conclusion was that he was a mixture of both.


	21. Chapter 21

**Hey guys! Man, I really hate what happens with Alaric through the rest of the season. I am still not over it. So please bear with me through these next couple of chapters. Then we will be on to season 4! And as usual, I own nothing but Vivian.**

I braided my dark hair and got dressed in jeans and a sweater. I was going to split time between Stefan and Alaric and helping Rebekah decorate the gym for the decade dance. She had somehow managed to wrestle control of the dance from Caroline and switched the decades from the seventies to the twenties. I had to admit that I was fond of her idea. Besides, to get everyone back on her good side, I decided it wasn't a bad idea to be friendly with her.

Alaric was locked in the vervaine cellar in the Salvatore house. His alter-ego had hidden the only other stake that could kill an Original and Stefan was hellbent on getting it out of him. I wanted to be there to make sure he didn't do anything rash but there were more important things to think about.

Rebekah had to be my main priority. Besides, being her friend had never exactly been a chore.

Damon and Elena were heading to Denver to bring Jeremy home and hopefully, through his powers, find out who sired Rose. I was dreading that because once they figured out whose line they belonged to, Damon was going to kill the other Originals. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Rebekah hadn't sired their line so she was definitely on the hit list. It took everything in me to not tell her everything and beg her to leave town. That left Klaus and Elijah and I couldn't choose between the two of them who would be better off dead. If Stefan managed to kill Klaus, there would be at least one casualty other than just Klaus himself… and that was Tyler.

I forced those terrible thoughts back and helped Rebekah set up a few tables, constantly checking my phone for updates on Alaric.

Stefan called me when I was heading over to tell me not to bother. He had gotten Evil-Ric to come out and tell him where the stake was and about that time, Rebekah and Klaus showed up, begging for it. He figured it would be better for me to stay home, where neither of them had been invited in. I had to admit that I wasn't the least bit concerned about Klaus or Rebekah trying to force their way into my house but I didn't say that to Stefan. I just decided to appreciate that he was back to worrying about appropriate things and that he was concerned enough for me to warn me about it.

The next day, Damon, Elena, and Jeremy were back on home turf. After hugging Jeremy, he admitted to me that something happened on the trip that I might be interested in; Damon and Elena had been making out and Jeremy walked in on it.

It was clear that Elena was wrestling with it and when I was helping Jeremy hang some cardboard stars from the ceiling in the gym, I heard Caroline suggesting that Elena go back to Stefan. I shook my head at Elena.

It wasn't that Stefan wasn't deserving or that Damon was so much better… Actually, I couldn't give a logical reason other than that I thought Damon was really trying to prove himself.

Elena looked at me when I shook my head and Caroline turned too.

"Vivian, if you're so fond of him, why don't you ask Damon to the dance?" asked Caroline. "Oh wait, you've got your own mass murderer on your tail."

"What?" asked Jeremy. I shook my head again but I could feel my cheeks getting hot.

"I am _not _going to the dance with Klaus, thank you very much," I responded, my footing feeling shaky on the ladder.

"Are you kidding? _Another _Original?"

"It's not what it sounds like," I said, turning back to Jeremy.

Elena laughed. "Then who's your date?" she asked.

"Um, I don't have a date… Like every other dance I've ever been to." Elena rolled her eyes.

I had to admit that I always enjoyed the decade dances and the twenties were entirely my element. Elena and I got dressed in a flurry, more concerned about our hair than our dresses. Elena wore a gorgeous white dress and I wore a pink one that was beaded. Elena secured her hair with a headband and curled it. I finger-waved mine and folded it under, trying to give the illusion of shoulder length hair. I actually liked the look so much that I contemplated cutting my hair.

Stefan came to pick up Elena and he gave me a look so I climbed in the backseat of his car. I hated feeling like a third wheel but Stefan had saved me some grief so maybe it was okay.

Once there, I stood next to the wall. The first song I heard was a slow song and I groaned, crossing my arms. At least during a fast song, it didn't really matter whether you had a dance partner.

I broke out of my pity party when Damon arrived in front of me.

"My own knight in shining armor," I said, expecting him to offer me his arm. But then I took in his appearance. Normally, when he came to a dance undercover, he at least pretended to belong. This time he was wearing a leather jacket and dark jeans. "What's going on?"

"Alaric isn't taking the herbs that Bonnie's fixed for him," he responded. "We need to do something about it."

"Like what, Damon?" I asked. "Alaric is not even remotely okay. He's not even the same person."

"I know. Which is why we need to do something about it." Damon looked over his shoulder, trying to spot Elena and Stefan. "On second thought, I'll grab Stefan and Elena. You have better things to do."

"What on Earth are you talking about?" I responded. "There's nothing more important than helping-"

Damon moved from blocking my view and I saw what he meant. Klaus was walking towards us at a mile-a-minute. I turned my head a little and looked up at Damon, my mouth almost hanging slack.

"Have fun, kiddo!" Damon patted me on the arm and walked off.

I took a deep breath before Klaus came to a stop in front of me. He didn't look angry, which was a good sign. I let myself smile, though it was hard to block out what was happening with Alaric. Damon was serious about this. He was also absolutely right. Something needed to be done to either help Alaric or stop him. Right now, the only option might be to stop him.

"Vivian," said Klaus with a grin, "why aren't you dancing?" I mustered a laugh.

"I don't have a partner," I responded.

"You do now," Klaus replied, offering me his hand. I bit my lower lip and took it.

I really loved to dance every now and then. But this made me feel nervous. There was something going on that Klaus had yet to tell me. I couldn't, for the life of me, figure out why he was even attending a high school dance. Surely, his interest in me wasn't enough to encourage a thousand year old hybrid to come to Mystic Falls High.

"I must admit I have a bit of an ulterior motive in asking you to dance with me," said Klaus, his pretty voice almost making me flinch.

"And what would that be?" I asked quietly. Klaus pulled me into a hold and tugged me so close that I thought our chests might touch. I clenched my hand around his.

"I'm leaving town tomorrow." My eyes widened.

"That might not be such a bad idea because I don't think Stefan and Damon are going to give up on this. You and Rebekah… and Elijah would be much safer elsewhere." My voice almost cracked on Elijah's name but I did sound better than I had intended.

"Well, I'm thinking you'll come with me." I paused for a minute.

"Really?" I asked. The idea didn't shock me as much as I thought it would.

"I could say it's about the blood but I might be fibbing a little." I sucked in my breath.

"Well, thank you for asking me nicely and not just kidnapping me." He laughed.

"Do you think that little of me?"

"Only sometimes," I said. I almost caught myself before I said it because it sounded too much like something I would say to Damon. But when Klaus smiled at me, I realized I hadn't made a mistake.

"You're loosening up around me. That's a good sign." I nodded. "Especially since we'll be seeing more of each other."

"That's very true. Well, I just want to be able to tell Elena and Jeremy… and maybe pack or something." Klaus nodded at me.

"Take your time," he said. "I need to find Rebekah anyway. She's the one behind this dance and she begged me to be here only for her to not show herself. You haven't seen her, have you?" I shook my head.

"The last time I saw her was yesterday. She didn't even show up this morning for last minute prep, which I thought was weird." Klaus made a face.

"I think I'll call her."

Klaus dropped my hand and nodded at me before walking out of the gym. _He must really trust me, _I thought to myself. There's no way he would have left Elena by herself like this when he was about to drag her out of town.

I looked over my shoulder and I saw Caroline looking at me with wide eyes. "I knew it," she mouthed at me. I pretended to laugh and then I walked out of the gym too.

When I arrived outside, after seeing Elena and Damon nowhere, I saw Stefan talking to Klaus. Neither of them looked particularly happy.

"Vivian, there's a boundary spell up," said Stefan when he saw me approaching. "Esther's back in town."

"What?" I responded.

"She also has Elena." I covered my mouth with my hand, following the both of them back inside where Bonnie was attempting to break through the spell.

"There's a loophole to every boundary spell," Klaus said to me. I nodded.

"It only applies to vampires?" I asked.

"So far," said Damon. "In fact, Viv, it might be better for you to go on home."

"Does this have something to do with Alaric?" Damon closed his eyes, frustrated.

"Yes," he said thru gritted teeth.

"Then I'm staying." I saw Klaus purse his lips beside me. I could tell Damon and I amused him and I could also tell that we didn't amuse Stefan.

Matt walked through the doors behind us and I turned to look at him. "Look, people are walking right out of the dance and past the barrier," he said.

"Well, if Matt, Vivian, and I can leave then we can stop Esther ourselves," said Jeremy.

"Don't be stupid, Jer," I said. "She's the Original witch."

"It's suicide, Jeremy," said Stefan.

"No," said Klaus, "suicide would be disappointing me. Now work your magic, witch, or I'll start killing people." I felt like gasping but I settled for sucking in my breath through my teeth.

"You should've gone home when you had the chance," muttered Damon.

"Fine," said Bonnie. "I'll do a locator spell for Elena but Vivian or Jeremy, I need your blood."

"You got it," I said, walking over to her.

I walked with her into another classroom where Bonnie retrieved a map of the area. Damon and Klaus followed us in, which made Bonnie roll her eyes. She didn't want either of them breathing down her neck.

"Do either of you really need to be here?" she asked before grabbing hold of my hand.

"You're still mad about what happened with Abby," said Damon. "Well, let me apologize. I'm sorry Elijah forced us to turn your mother into a vampire to save Elena's life." I flinched then. Bonnie looked up at me in question; she hadn't drawn the blood yet. I only shook my head. I turned my head to see Damon and Klaus. Both of them knew exactly what was going on. "All I'm saying is, we didn't exactly have a choice."

"There's always a choice," said Bonnie. "Whenever you make one, someone else suffers."

"Let's cut the dramatics and begin, shall we?" said Klaus.

Both of the guys moved beside us. I used my free hand to grip the desk when Klaus moved to stand beside me. Damon was looking over Bonnie's shoulder, waiting. I took a deep breath and turned my hand palm up for her.

"I'll have to go deep so this will probably hurt," said Bonnie. I nodded.

"I know," I whispered.

She pressed the blade of a letter opener onto my palm and pushed in. I gasped. She dragged the letter opener through the meat of my hand and I watched as my blood burst forth, dripping off my hand. Bonnie made me form a fist and hold my hand over the center of the map. Thick blood fell off my palm and hit the paper of the map with a thud. I hissed in pain when Bonnie made me push my fingers into the wound, opening it further. More blood hit the map.

Bonnie let me go and I brought my hand back to myself, immediately putting pressure on it. I felt a hand against my back and I turned, knowing it was Klaus. He only nodded at me.

I stared down at the map as Bonnie was chanting in Latin. Normally, my blood would have moved to a location by now.

"Esther's fighting me," said Bonnie in disbelief.

"Esther couldn't possibly have this much power," said Klaus. "No, she's channeling something."

"A hotspot."

"Then I know where she is."

Jeremy and Matt struck out after I handed Jeremy the Gilbert ring and after I bound my wound. They were better at attacking people than I was so I stayed behind. But soon after, Esther stopped fighting Bonnie and she was able to take down the boundary spell. All of us made our way to the old cemetery where Alaric and Elena had been taken.

Once there, Jeremy grabbed me and took me aside, trying to explain everything. Esther had been intent on turning Alaric into a vampire… his evil side, that is. She'd even been able to make him drink Elena's blood and kill him. He was halfway through the transition and we had him to thank for taking care of Esther. But if this meant what I thought it did, did that mean Alaric was going to die?

I watched Klaus take Esther's body with a nod my way before leaving. He hadn't asked me to come with him so I know he knew what was going on.

I went into the mausoleum behind Jeremy and saw Ric and Elena there together. The look on Ric's face all but said it; he wasn't going to finish the transition. My first thought was to call to Damon. My second was to rush forward and hug Ric and tell him that in the end he was probably making the right decision. Who knows who he would become as a vampire? Himself or his alter-ego? Besides, he hadn't really been himself in so long.

"This is not happening," said Jeremy. "We are not locking you in here and letting you die."

"Jeremy," I said, my voice breaking. Elena was already crying.

"Come on, guys," said Ric. "Let's not make this harder than it already is. The three of you should go. Damon's here. He'll make sure it'll all go down the right way." I nodded, blinking back tears.

Jeremy moved forward and hugged Alaric. Then he moved back and walked out of the mausoleum. I took my chance and hugged Alaric too, trying so hard not to start shaking.

"Thank you so much," I said, "for being me and Damon's friend… and for taking care of us." Ric nodded but didn't respond.

I let go and rushed out the door before I could start crying. I grabbed hold of Jeremy and I thought of not letting go for a while.

**Man, this episode was such a buzzkill. Like I said, I hate what they ended up doing to Alaric but that group scene at the cemetery gets me every time. The only other episode that touched me more than that was when Elena burned down her house after Jeremy died. I can't wait to write that episode. Well, hopefully, I'll update again soon! But I'm going back to college classes on Monday so I'll be juggling schoolwork soon.**


	22. Chapter 22

"We've got a problem," said Damon. Those were always the worst words to come out of Damon's mouth.

"I'm helping Rebekah and Caroline take down the dance decorations so that they don't kill each other and so that I can be distracted," I responded into my phone, walking away from Rebekah and Caroline. Elena had decided in the middle of the night to start repainting Alaric's room and I was not going to take part in that. "So you might want to make it fast."

"You are not gonna believe this. Ric's not dead."

"Excuse me?" I choked out in disbelief.

"But he's not himself either. Even in death that Original bitch is a pain in my ass."

"There is no possible way that Esther could have forced him to make the transition. She's not- She's not even alive!"

"She somehow got in touch with Bonnie because Bonnie made sure that Ric took her blood." I groaned. It was more than a little disconcerting that I was taking this as well as I was.

"Well, what should we do? What is he now? He's not just a regular vampire." I could practically hear Damon shaking his head through the phone.

"I think he's some sort of Original."

"That's just great."

It wasn't that I particularly wanted to kill Alaric but I didn't see a way around it. The Ric who was walking around right now was not the Ric that I knew. The Ric who was walking around was the same man who had almost succeeded in killing me. I wasn't naïve enough to believe that he had forgotten about that. I also wasn't naïve enough to believe that Alaric wouldn't kill any vampire that crossed his path. Which included the two girls with me at the high school right now; Rebekah and Caroline.

"You might wanna come on home. I really don't think now's the time to throw away some plastic champagne flutes, Viv."

"Caroline and Rebekah are sitting ducks. If he gets Rebekah, there's a one in four chance that you and Stefan will die too."

Damon groaned and we hung up after he reassured me that he and Stefan were going over to my house to explain everything to Elena and Jeremy. When I walked back into the gym to relay all this info to Caroline and Rebekah, I noticed that they were gone. I rolled my eyes. Now was not the time for them to start bickering over who could take what sign down.

I walked back out of the gym and started going down the hallway where all the banners had been hung up. I caught sight of some blonde hair and almost breathed a sigh of relief until I noticed what was going on.

Rebekah was thrown up against some lockers by none other than Alaric. I froze in place. I felt paralyzed. Caroline helped Rebekah by stabbing Ric with the white oak stake that Esther had made for him but nothing happened. He didn't react but for Rebekah and Caroline, there was enough of a shot to get away until they saw me.

"Vivian, get outside!" said Rebekah. "In the sun!" She was right. Ric had no ring to protect him from the sunlight but I just didn't know that I could do it. The memories of that night were flooding back to me so intensely, I wasn't sure I could see straight.

This Alaric, who had now turned to look at me almost furiously, was the same one who had tried to take my life. It was evident that he still felt the same way now. I tried to make myself move by sheer force of will and it got me going. But I wasn't nearly fast enough.

I opened the doors to run out of the school after Rebekah and Caroline and immediately felt excruciating pain hit me in the middle of the back. I screamed and I saw Caroline turn back, just for one moment. I fell to the ground when Ric pulled what had to be the white oak stake out of my back. Almost instantaneously, I started feeling relief to the pain, which only meant one thing; death was near. I looked over at my hand and saw one of the Gilbert rings. When I looked up, I saw that Alaric had reached Caroline and snapped her neck. Walking back towards me, burning in the sun and dragging her body, Ric looked pleased. I laid my head against my arm and let myself pass out.

When I woke up, I tried to cough but felt that I couldn't. Opening my eyes, I looked around. I was in a classroom on the floor and my hands were tied together. I was also gagged. Looking around the room, I saw Ric, which only made me want to scream, and Caroline, who was gagged as well and had pencils through her hands, securing her to a desk. Beside her was Elena.

I groaned and tried to push myself up off the floor.

"Oh, look who's awake," said Ric. I looked over at Elena, who was clearly distraught (though not nearly as distraught as Caroline) and she only shook her head at me. "Both of my perfect leverages are here now." I shut my eyes for a quick second before I realized exactly what he meant; Elena was the doppelganger and I happened to share her blood. He was trying to lure in Klaus.

"I'm the only one that's valuable," said Elena. "Let Caroline and Vivian go." Ric shook his head and smiled almost maniacally.

"Now, Elena, you know I can't let that happen. Caroline will leave this room the moment you kill her, just like I told you to, and I'm going to let Vivian go as soon as I put an end to every other Original."

I tried to say something then, which only came out as an angry growl. It made Alaric laugh in a way that I had never seen him laugh and that was when I was completely sure that the man I had known was dead and gone.

"Well, let's get back to business, Elena," said Ric. "Either you kill Caroline or I will. And I'll make it hurt." I didn't doubt it.

He pulled Elena out of the desk she'd been sitting in and forced the stake into her hand. I tried to think of a plan. If I could get up and at least push Ric, that would give Elena a chance to free Caroline. If he caught me before that and killed me, I wouldn't truly be dead. It was worth it to take the chance.

Scrambling to my feet, I attempted to pull my gag down with tied hands. It wasn't going in my favor. But Elena was ahead of me. She turned the stake on Alaric and then slammed him with a glass of vervaine.

"Go get help, Vivian!" said Elena, pulling one of the pencils out of Caroline's hands. She didn't need to tell me twice.

I finally ripped the gag out of my mouth while running down the hallway. I heard something behind me and that only made me run faster. I hoped it was Caroline. The tell-tale signs of vamp-speeding meant the person behind me was only getting closer. Then they grabbed me, clapping a hand over my mouth. I meant to scream but I didn't when the person turned me around. It was Klaus. If my hands hadn't been tied, I would have hugged his neck.

"You're safe now. You're okay," he whispered to me, still keeping me close. I nodded. I was home free now. If Klaus was here, Damon and Stefan wouldn't be far behind. "We'll save Elena. You go straight home and stay inside, do you understand?"

"Yes," I whispered back. "Thank you." He nodded and we both went in separate directions.

Once I reached my house, I tried calling Damon and Stefan. They should have been right behind me. My heart rate started to pick up when neither of them answered. Klaus ignored my call too. Then Jeremy, who should have been at home, and Bonnie. No one picked up.

All of a sudden, I began to feel weaker and I knew it was because of my bond with Elena. Something was very, very wrong with this situation. Our connection was gradually fading and that had never happened to me before.

Finally, my phone started ringing again and I picked it up. "Hello?"

"Viv, I get the feeling you already know what's happening," said Damon.

"First of all, something is really, really wrong with Elena. I'm losing the connection we have, Damon. Second of all, why on Earth don't I have any windows on the front part of my house?" It had taken me a second to really see what damage my house had sustained while I was dead at Mystic High.

"The answer to those questions both lie with your buddy, Klaus. Earlier today he was pretty intent on finding you and pretty intent on making Jeremy invite him in. When we resisted, he retaliated. And right now, he is draining Elena." I shook my head.

"No," I replied. "We made a deal. He promised he wouldn't touch her."

"Seems like he's not as good at keeping his word as you are. The thing is, Vivian, Esther tied Alaric's life to Elena's. When she dies, he dies too. Klaus has evidently figured this out."

"But I don't-"

"We're going to help Bonnie place the same spell on him as her mom put on Mikael."

"But Damon, he'll practically be dead!"

"Vivian!" he exclaimed. "Whose side are you on? Your twin sister is dying right now because of him and you're complaining that he's not getting a lesser punishment!"

"Damon, please! You don't understand," I begged.

"No, I think I do." He hung up on me.

I made myself sit down and really evaluate what was going on. I should be excited about this. Everyone's problems all boiled down to Klaus and I couldn't find it in myself to be the least bit relieved. Even my anger over him taking Elena was just a watered down feeling. Damon was right. I was siding with a group of people that I barely knew and that under certain circumstances, were absolute monsters. Even Elijah had thrown whatever friendship we had under the bus for his family. I had defended Elijah in that, even though it made me feel strange, because I just knew I would do the same for Jeremy and Elena. But here was my opportunity to show that and I wasn't doing anything.

Jeremy walked into the house then and I let him sweep me up into a tight hug. I felt like I wanted to talk to him about everything but I knew he wouldn't get it. He was already walking on air over the whole thing.

"We're gonna have a party and celebrate once Elena gets home," Jeremy told me. "Bonnie's coming and so are Caroline, Matt, and Tyler. If you wanna join us, you can but… I'll understand if you don't." I half-smiled.

"I don't think I'd feel right celebrating something like this," I responded. Jeremy made a face like he was going to say something but he decided against it. He nodded. That's what I really love about Jeremy. He knows when not to press an issue.

I heard Elena come home from my room and then I heard the party commence. I felt a little like a Debbie Downer but it wasn't like any of them weren't aware of what was going on with me. In fact, I think everyone else had a better handle on my situation than I did. Particularly, Damon was making me really think. But I suppose it doesn't matter anymore because Klaus is only quasi-alive and in a few hours, he'll be at the bottom of the ocean if Damon had any say in the matter.

When I heard everyone leave, I decided I'd finally emerge from my room and stop giving Elena the impression that I wasn't glad she was alive. Of course, I was glad she was alive. I loved her. But I also wasn't pleased with the way the Klaus situation had been handled. Had no one thought of the consequences? As far as I knew, Rebekah was still in town and I was willing to bet that she would kill us all for him.

"Elena!" I called before walking into Alaric's old room. "I'm really sorry that I didn't come down-" I cut myself off when I saw her. Elena was lying on the floor passed out, blood dripping out of her nose. "Oh, my God. Jeremy! Jeremy, something's happened to Elena!"

I wasn't very good with handling situations like this but Jeremy was. He could keep his head on straight while I did the fretting. He breezed past me and knelt beside my sister. That was when I started panicking. I hadn't even felt her go down or felt her feel weird. Was I somehow tuning out our twin bond? I would never want that to happen.

"It must be the effects of what happened to her earlier," said Jeremy. "We need to take her to the hospital."

I moved to help Jeremy carry her but he scooped her up without thinking twice. I started the car and drove us there. Meredith Fell was on call so she agreed to look at her and told us more than once that it wasn't anything serious. Apparently, it was nothing more than a head injury Elena had sustained earlier that day. But Meredith still thought there was cause to keep her under observation.

"Should we call Damon and Stefan?" I asked. Jeremy grudgingly obliged. I could hear Damon over the phone shouting that Elena was a sitting duck and any remaining Original would want her dead because of her tie to Alaric.

"They say she'll be better off at home," said Jeremy. "For once, I might believe them." I nodded.

After carrying her home, Matt came over to sit with Elena while we waited for Damon and Stefan to come home. Apparently, Caroline and Tyler would have been there but they had gotten strange calls from their moms. I don't think it would really matter to Elena because she was on strict orders to get some rest.

After she woke up and talked to Matt for a while, while I was scrambling to put together some kind of sandwich, Stefan breezed through the door. I caught myself looking for Damon to come in right behind him and when he didn't, I interrupted Elena and Stefan's hug.

"Where's Damon?" I asked.

"One of us had to keep going," said Stefan. I nodded. That wasn't what I wanted to hear. At least if they were both back, that meant that Klaus' body would be here and there would be time to make amends with both him and Rebekah, who had yet to show her face.

"I'm being coddled," said Elena from the couch. I had handed over the reins of dinner making to Stefan and was now only annoying him by trying to help. "It's too much."

"When a doctor says you need to rest, then that's what you should do," I said.

"I've been thinking," started Matt, "wouldn't it just be better to get you the hell out of town?"

"And then run for the rest of my life?" asked Elena. "I don't think so. Anyway, I am done with the couch."

"I don't think so," I said. "Sit back down."

"Well, if you're gonna wait on me hand and foot, I wouldn't mind another blanket." I rolled my eyes.

"Of course, your highness." I heard Stefan laugh when I started walking down the hall. I got to the closet and pulled out a blanket when I heard something. It wasn't a bang or anything startling but it was enough to make me turn my head. I dropped the blanket when I saw what it was.

Elijah was standing in the foyer of my house, the front door hanging open. I shut my eyes for a second and opened them, expecting that I might've been the one to fall asleep instead of Elena. It wasn't the case.

"Vivian," he said with a nod.

"Elijah," I said back, my voice barely above a whisper. I heard Stefan and Matt behind me, Elena no doubt on their tail. Almost subconsciously, I kicked the blanket back into the closet and shut the door. Somehow, Elijah always caught me doing embarrassing things.

"Hello again," he said. "I believe we all have something we need to discuss; Alaric." My first thought was, how does he even know? Did Rebekah tell him? Did Klaus?

"You're absolutely right," said Stefan. "So why don't we sit down and talk about this?"

"Of course," Elijah responded, almost smiling. It made me feel nauseous. In fact, I still wasn't totally sure I was awake.

Matt, Stefan, and Elena turned to walk back to the kitchen and I turned to do it too. I heard Elijah shut the door and immediately he was beside me. I felt my heart begin to pound.

"I got your letter," I said, keeping my voice low. "I understand what happened."

"I didn't doubt that you would," he replied. I nodded without looking at him. I was not going to look at him because then everything would fall apart. "I apologize for not keeping in touch with you."

"Oh, it's fine," I said, almost a little too quickly. I was nervous, too nervous for my own good and there was no way that Elijah wasn't aware of it. I was saved when we sat down and everyone started in on Alaric after Stefan called Damon and put him on speaker.

"Once he's been disarmed, the weapon's in my possession, my family will scatter to the ends of the earth and Alaric will follow us," said Elijah.

"And you'll just… run?" asked Stefan.

"We've done it before. Klaus and Rebekah spent the better part of a thousand years evading my father. What's another half century while Elena's able to live out the rest of her natural life?" This was the Elijah that I really liked, not the one that had thrown Elena underground with Rebekah.

"We finally stopped him, Elijah," said Elena. "After everything that he's done to us, I can't just let you bring him back." Elijah had also bartered for Klaus' body, which really made me feel relieved.

"Elena," I said, "come on." She turned to look at me across the table from her and it read on her face. She was thinking the same thing Damon was and she was just as unhappy about it as he was.

"I don't believe anyone asked you, Vivian," hissed Damon over the phone. I groaned.

"I'll give you my word, Elena," said Elijah, acting as though he hadn't even heard Damon speak. "I will not revive Klaus within yours nor even your children's lifetimes. Perhaps it'll finally teach him some manners." I felt my heart pound again and I looked down at the dining room table. The tables hadn't turned at all, not where Klaus was concerned.

"Why should Elena trust you?" asked Matt. "All you've done is screw her over."

"Matt-" I started.

"For that, I'm deeply ashamed," said Elijah, giving me a look that told me he didn't want me to stand up for him. "But know this, she could've been dead the instant I walked through that door tonight. So, Elena, I leave it to you to make the decision to trust me or not." I looked at her then and nodded. I still trusted Elijah and that might mean something to Elena, even if it didn't to anyone else.

"Not! Hello!" said Damon. "Has Vivian been rubbing off on you? His lunatic siblings will kill you the first chance they get!"

"Rebekah and Kol will honor the terms if you return Klaus' body to us. Elena will come to no harm," said Elijah. After a pause, he asked, "Do we have a deal?"

"No!" exclaimed Damon. "A thousand times, no! Did I mention, no?"

"Elena, it's up to you," said Stefan.

"Oh, come on!"

"Why do you want Klaus' body?" Elena asked.

"He's my brother," Elijah responded. "We remain together."

"Elena, it's the right thing to do," I muttered.

"Oh, we all know what you think!" said Damon.

"We have a deal," said Elena.

From there, they crafted a plan for Jeremy to feed Alaric a fake location of Klaus' body and for Bonnie and Damon to hand his actual body over to Rebekah. Everyone was going to a different location to be able to make sure Alaric was truly taken down, including me. I think my real role was "bait" but Stefan was nice enough to use the word "distraction". Once Alaric realized there was no body in the woods, I would appear to tell him it's real site and distract him long enough for Stefan and Elijah to subdue him.

The plan never fully went into effect. Stefan, Elijah, and I were waiting in the forest (and I had to admit, it was awkward) when Stefan's phone rang. It was Damon. Somehow, Alaric had found them and managed to stake Klaus. I felt the measly dinner Stefan had fixed for me rise up in my throat and I got sick right there in the woods with an Original vampire and the brother of my best friend watching me. I felt my heart start beating abnormally fast and my hands started shaking until I retched again and nothing came up.

Klaus, Damon, Stefan, Caroline, and Tyler were all dead.

"It took Sage about an hour before she got sick," said Stefan, "but an hour's not enough time to get Damon back to Mystic Falls."

I somehow managed to stand up straight again. "How do you feel?" I whispered. Stefan shook his head.

"Klaus was lying. We're not part of his bloodline." But Stefan was only saying this to come off stronger to me. "Damon's gonna be fine. We're all gonna be fine." I felt myself start crying and I covered my eyes with my hands. I felt Stefan hug me and it was the most genuine moment in our entire friendship.

I pulled away from him then and I finally turned to Elijah and I hugged him too. "I am so sorry," I muttered. "I am so, so sorry."

He only responded by pulling me closer. I felt his hand ravel in my hair and then my sweater and I started crying harder.

"I'm going to find Rebekah," he said down to me. "You need to call Damon." I nodded and backed off.

I watched Elijah leave as I called Damon. He hadn't seemed nearly as upset as I would've expected but I wasn't going to question anything right now. I only had one hour left with Damon and Caroline and Stefan and Tyler. It had yet to sink in that someone had actually achieved killing Klaus. I felt like retching again.

"Viv, I was wondering when I'd hear from you."

"Damon," I said.

"Oh, pull yourself together. You know you'll see my annoying ass in a couple hours. That douchebag was lying." I felt myself laugh. "Ah, that's what I was looking for."

"Do you feel any different?"

"I'm fit as a fiddle and I'm telling you, that's not gonna change any time soon."

"Please, Damon," I said.

"Okay," he replied, already getting more serious, "since these might be the last few minutes of my life, I ought to tell you… And I swear, if I live, just forget I said this… You're probably the best friend I've ever had, Viv. There, I said it. You're my Lexi." I started to smile then.

"That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

"Don't get used to it."

"Damon, I wish I could be there with you."

"Be glad you aren't. But I'll see you soon, Viv."

"If you don't… I kind of love you, Damon. And if you live, just forget I said that." He laughed.

"We are the new Starsky and Hutch, I swear. Take care of yourself, Vivian. Don't do anything I wouldn't do." I made myself muster up a laugh and we hung up.

I sat with Stefan for a while before we started heading back to town. Elena was coming to meet Stefan with Matt because evidently, Matt and Jeremy had thought it would be a good idea to get Elena out of dodge. I let Stefan drive because he was much faster than I was.

His phone rang a little while down the road and when he picked it up, I heard Rebekah on the end of the line.

"We had a deal," Stefan said. "Rebekah, don't do this!" He hit the gas even harder and he hung up, throwing his phone down.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"The deal's off because Klaus is dead. Rebekah's gonna kill Elena."

"Oh, my God."

Minutes later, Stefan pulled over at the Wickery Bridge. I ran out of the car after him and saw Matt's truck slowly sinking into the creek. Stefan pushed me back and dove in. I saw him break through the surface of the water a second later and right when I thought I could be relieved, I felt something within me crack. I gasped and held my chest before collapsing to my knees. I had only felt this once before; when Elena had been sacrificed.

"Stefan!" I shrieked. Then the pain ended. It was gone. Instead of the usual strain, that I assumed I'd been blocking lately, I felt nothing. I had no connection left to Elena. She was dead.

**Hey ya'll! I'm sorry for the really long wait on this chapter. My classes have started back up and they're incredibly draining so you'll just have to bear with me. That said, season three is done and we are on to season four! I have to say, season four was definitely not my favorite season of TVD but I'm looking forward to certain events. As usual, tell me what you think! Sorry that it wasn't an Original heavy chapter but I hope you enjoy it anyway (I always enjoy it when Elijah is back).**


	23. Chapter 23

**Hey! I'm sorry for the wait! Well, here is the beginning of season four! All three main Originals are in this chapter. Speaking of them, this past week when the Originals aired, I tweeted at Claire Holt and she replied to me! I'm still a little too excited about that. But how are you guys liking the new show? I have to say that I'm enjoying it. Well, I hope you like the new chapter! I don't own anything except Vivian.**

I don't remember much of the drive to the hospital with Elena's body. I don't even really remember what happened once we got to the hospital. Meredith Fell took her to the morgue but pulled Stefan and me aside before we became too upset. In a series of a few minutes, Dr. Fell explained that she'd used vampire blood on Elena's injuries from earlier that night. It didn't click in my head at first but midway through a phone call with Jeremy, I realized exactly what was going on. Elena was going to wake up in a few hours… and then she'd be hungry.

Damon finally arrived a couple hours later and I stopped him before he barged into the morgue. After hugging him in relief that he still wasn't dying, I let him go see Elena's body. I couldn't bring myself to do it.

For once, it was rather lucky that I hung back. Sitting on a bench outside of the morgue, waiting for Jeremy to get there, I heard someone come up beside me. When I looked, I recognized that it was Elijah. I assumed that he'd have been long gone by now. He and Rebekah would have fled town to do their mourning in private and I definitely could not say that I blamed them. There was nothing like the loss of a sibling, particularly a sibling you were close to. Tonight had taught me that.

I stood up and tried to organize my thoughts enough to speak to him. Luckily, he spoke before I could.

"I see that Elena will be alright," he said. I nodded.

"I only wish that Klaus was too," I responded. Elijah half smiled and nodded back.

"Well, you never can be too sure with my brother." I almost raised my eyebrows. What was he implying? "I just wanted you to know that I am glad you have been spared the pain that Rebekah and I are going through."

"You know, if you need anything, I would be happy to help you." He nodded again.

"I know," Elijah replied. "You've always been kind to me and my family, even when we didn't deserve it. I assume you are angry with Rebekah and rightfully so."

"I understand her," I said. "I understand what she was feeling and why she did it but… Elena has never wanted this. I'm not naïve enough to believe that she wasn't going to turn one day but it should not have been now." Elijah simply looked down at me and I knew that he understood.

"I know and I would like to apologize on Rebekah's behalf." I highly doubted Rebekah would ever say sorry for this. "You must know that she has never been friendly with any Petrova. She didn't like Tatia and she certainly never liked Katherine. It was inevitable that Elena would bring that side out again."

"Well, like I said, it was going to happen one way or another. I'm willing to look past it if you both are planning on sticking around." I was prying for information and I was hoping that he would tell me he was staying. No such luck.

"I'm sorry, Vivian, but I am not. If Klaus is truly dead then there are some things I need to take care of."

"'If'?" I said. "That's the second time you've made it sound skeptical." He pursed his lips like he wasn't sure he should have told me that.

"I'm sure it's wishful thinking on my part so don't take it so seriously… but I'm positive that I did not sire the Salvatores' line and Rebekah knows she and Kol didn't." I furrowed my brow. Elijah was right, that was strange. If anything was going to happen to Damon or Stefan, they would be dead by now.

"So that's what you'll be looking into?" He nodded at me.

"Among other things. But I will return and in the meantime, if you need anything at all, and I do mean anything, don't hesitate to go to Rebekah." I shook my head. "I know what she's done to your sister but she will take care of you. Rebekah is fond of you and she would be more than willing."

"Okay, I will," I said.

Elijah moved forward and put his hands to my face. I nearly flinched. He was barely touching me, almost like he was scared I would break. I looked up at him, heart pounding, and I felt myself freeze when he leaned down and pressed his lips to my forehead. I breathed out slowly and closed my eyes. When I opened them, he was gone.

We got to carry Elena home where Damon and Stefan explained everything to her the next day. Damon was angry that Stefan had saved Matt first instead of Elena but I was glad that he had. At least Elena was alive in some form. Matt wouldn't have been and since he and Jeremy along with me were the last regular humans in the group, I was concerned about him.

I tried to make Elena feel enthused about human food but she wasn't having it and her emotions were on a roller coaster so it fell flat. I offered to let her feed off me but she shook her head like she was sick. Stefan was going to go to Bonnie and see whether she could somehow help Elena return to being human. I thought it was rather stupid to get her hopes up for something that had never happened before in the history of vampires.

Later on in the day, Alaric's last few duties while he was alive came back to haunt everyone. He had told the council everything and revealed every vampire and vampire sympathizer by name. I knew I was at the top of the vampire sympathizer list, along with Elena. The council members managed to take her and Stefan along with Rebekah and Caroline. I think they were looking for me too but I wasn't as important as they were.

Mostly, I got to fret while Damon went to rescue them. Before they got back, Damon confirmed that Elena had gone through with the transition and actually turned. Jeremy called immediately after that with the weirdest news I'd ever gotten; Klaus had been in Tyler's body but now he was in his own. He had managed to escape being killed by Alaric and I felt utterly relieved. Not that I would ever admit that to Damon.

I called Klaus but he didn't answer. I settled for leaving him a voicemail.

Over the next couple of days, Jeremy and I became preoccupied with helping Elena adjust. Stefan took her out to try to feed off of animals because he thought maybe if she just started with them, she would never have to feed off of humans. Damon, of course, thought it was ridiculous and I had to admit that I did too. At least for the first few times she feeds, I thought Elena would benefit more from a human diet. I was even willing to let her feed off of me but Stefan wasn't going to allow it. He was worried that Elena would lose control and kill me. Heck, maybe he was right.

I joined Damon at the Grill while Elena and Stefan were taking their trip out to the woods. When I tried to sit by him at the bar, he just turned to me and said, "That seat's taken." I narrowed my eyes.

"I know what you're doing and it's not exactly a good coping mechanism," I responded. I took the seat on the other side though, just to appease him. Damon only shook his head.

"I take it you didn't come here just to tell me that I should grieve like a normal person." I shook my head.

"No, I didn't but now that you mention it… I think that you should. Hell, Damon, Alaric was my friend too. We could help each other." He threw back his glass of scotch and then turned back to me.

"No thanks, Viv." I shrugged. "How are you dealing with the whole Elena thing?"

"Fine, really. I definitely seem to be doing better with it than you and Stefan." Damon narrowed his blue eyes at me. "I'm serious. Stefan just keeps beating himself up over it and I know that you blame Matt. It's nobody's fault. It's not yours and it's certainly not Stefan's. It's not even Rebekah's."

"Oh, how do you figure that? Just because Elijah whispered some magical words in your ear before he left town _again? _One thing I can say for this vampire Elena business is that it's distracted you from the Originals." I rolled my eyes.

"Don't go there with me." He put his hands up in the air.

"I'm just saying that I expected you to run over to their house and hug Klaus's neck the minute you found out he was alive."

"You know, maybe I should have. It might have been more productive than this conversation." Damon sucked his breath in.

"Ouch."

It was later when we all attended the funeral for the council members that had somehow died after a gas leak that I finally realized that everything was not okay with Elena. Sitting with Jeremy, Damon and Elena had both assured me that she was fine but she clearly wasn't. She was sweating and the look on her face only told me how hungry she was. Stefan's bunny diet was backfiring. She apparently couldn't keep any blood down whatsoever.

"Ya'll better figure something out and fast," I whispered to Damon who was in the pew behind me. We were watching helplessly as Elena floundered to talk about Pastor Young.

"We will but whatever you do, don't turn around," he muttered back. "Someone's watching us."

I tried to resist the urge to turn around then. What was happening now? Was there never a pause in what happened here?

The answer is no. Tyler got shot when he got up to speak in the middle of the funeral and Jeremy whisked me out of church and back home before I could say a word against it. Damon wanted this new hunter taken care of immediately. I only told him to wait for the guy to bother Klaus or Rebekah. He wasn't going to last long.

I made it to school the next day purely by being dragged out of bed by Elena. Going to school was a good cover for her while this new hunter was still walking around. I happened to agree with that idea.

I took my usual seat in front of Stefan in Alaric's old classroom and I felt a little nauseous. Alaric had really been gone for a long time and for a while before he officially died. But I had a feeling that coming to history class wasn't going to be the same now no matter what I did to rationalize things. Funnily enough, I think Ric's death hit me harder than Jenna's.

I stopped my train of thought when Rebekah entered the room. She started handing out fliers, claiming she was throwing an anti-curfew party. A new curfew had been instated for the town due to the fact that nearly everyone saw Tyler get shot in a church a couple of days ago. I froze when Rebekah approached me.

"I'm throwing a party at my new house, Vivian, and you should come," she said cheerfully, practically pushing a flier into my hand.

"Well, I'll be there," I responded. I remembered what Elijah said; that against all odds, Rebekah actually liked me. I did not need to make an enemy of her.

"Great!" She turned to Elena. "You're welcome to join if you want to bury the hatchet."

"That's a pretty big hatchet," Elena replied before giving me a withering look. I take it she wasn't happy that I was playing nice with Rebekah. It was really too bad.

"Well, I'm feeling generous of spirit." I smiled when she turned back to me. Even though she could be mean, I actually felt very sorry for Rebekah. She'd certainly had a hard life and she had actively tried to be my friend. I couldn't say I had very many friends at the moment. Besides, I liked her. I liked her just as much as I liked Elijah and Klaus.

"New house, huh? Did Klaus finally kick you out?"

"Elena!" I said. Whatever had happened between them was absolutely none of our business but it did explain where the two of them had been lately.

"He didn't kick me out," said Rebekah, "I left."

"So you left the only person who actually likes you?" asked Elena. I gasped and I saw Rebekah harden up, like she might start crying. Even Stefan seemed a little mortified by Elena's comment.

"Well, your boyfriend liked me once. Actually, a lot more than once. And now your sister is more a part of my family than she is of yours." I gulped.

"Why are you still in town, Rebekah?" asked Stefan. "Elijah's gone. Don't you have anywhere else to go?"

"History's my favorite class. Actually, where is Mr. Saltzman? Oh, that's right. I killed him." Elena snapped and threw her pencil like a dart. I jumped in my seat. Rebekah caught it midair and returned it. I saw it sink into Elena's shoulder. I only shook my head.

I stood up to walk with Elena to the bathroom but Stefan shook his head at me. He had it all covered, like he always does. Rebekah smiled down at me and then followed them out of the classroom. When Damon had said that Rebekah was a female Klaus, he had not been making it up.

Elena and Stefan ditched the rest of the day but texted me and said that they would be coming to Rebekah's party. I admit that I was worried about what was going to happen there. I even called Damon and told him that he should keep the white oak stake hidden. For once, I think he listened to me.

"Look, there's no news on the hunter front," he told me.

"I figured as much. Jeremy just told me that he's been at school and talked to him about something," I responded. Damon groaned. "Have you thought about maybe teaming up with Klaus?"

"What do you think I'm gonna say to that?" I shrugged.

"I'm just saying that he can probably help."

"I'll think about it."

When I got back to class, I sat with Rebekah and talked with her a while.

"Do you think there's any way to persuade Matt to come to my party?" she asked, almost bashfully. I frowned and shook my head.

"I'm sorry but I don't think so. I don't think he or Elena will be over it for a long time," I replied.

"I suppose you're right," she said. "Have you forgiven me?"

"I can't forgive you until you say you're sorry and I can tell that you're not sorry." She seemed a little put down by that so I righted myself. "But I'm gonna look past it. Everyone makes mistakes, even if they don't see them as that yet." She smiled at me and I was reminded of just how gorgeous she really is.

I went to Rebekah's party and hung out with her for the most part. The way she was dressed put me to shame but I expected that that would always be the case. She was nearly always wearing stilettos and today she was wearing a low-cut dress that showed off her legs. I was wearing my usual sweater buttoned to the top and a skirt. Normally I felt like I looked demure and cute. Beside Rebekah, I just felt boring.

Elena and Stefan came and went after Elena nearly had a breakdown. I stayed with Rebekah until everyone left and she told me she wasn't feeling great. She suspected that she'd somehow ingested werewolf venom, which only caused me to worry about Elena.

"Hey Stefan," I said when he picked up on the second ring. "I just left Rebekah's and the thing is, she told me she felt sick and she thinks that maybe she drank some werewolf venom."

"As a matter of fact, I was about to call you," he responded. "The hunter, Connor, managed to get some venom out of Tyler this morning and all of a sudden, it's like Elena's begun hallucinating."

"Oh no," I said. "You can't be serious."

"I was hoping that you could make the call for her. I don't think I'm on Klaus's good side anymore." I breathed out a sigh.

When I arrived at the Salvatore house, I had just managed to finally reach Klaus.

"Hey," I said. "Sorry I've called you like, ten times but first off, I'm really relieved that no one succeeded in killing you and second, I need to ask you a favor."

"Of course," he responded.

"Elena has somehow been infected with werewolf venom."

"Ah, her first experience with the less fun aspects of vampirism. I'll come but I'm coming because you asked me, not because I feel like I should."

"I don't care what your reasoning is, just thank you for doing this. I owe you." I heard him make a noise over the phone and I immediately started to regret using those words.

"I'm holding you to that date you promised."

"I didn't doubt you would." I hung up and hurried into the house.

When Klaus arrived, I was sitting with Elena and Stefan was pacing the room. I knew Klaus was going to sass Stefan for trying to kill him and honestly, I was glad that he did. We'd be up the creek if they had succeeded. Elena would have died. After he gave Elena his blood, Klaus acted like he had other plans so I let him leave. I went home with Elena.

When I got home, I checked the mail. It's weird how you forget the most mundane activities when your life is littered with supernatural entities. But nonetheless, I pulled out the mail we'd neglected to check in at least a week. I sorted thru it. Much of it was condolence letters regarding Alaric but then I saw a letter with just my name on it. No Jeremy, no Elena, just Vivian Gilbert. A stamp in the corner revealed what was going to be inside; it was a letter from Tulane University.

I made myself sit down on the bench on the front porch and pushed the other mail aside. I pulled open the envelope and took out the letter. My heart started pounding. It was probably something trivial like, "Apply here!" or something else ridiculous but I was nervous anyway. I had forgotten all about applying to college, though I figured I might attend Whitmore when the time came, but Tulane University?

I opened the letter and I let myself gasp when I read only the first line.

"Miss Vivian Gilbert, Tulane University is honored to offer you a scholarship full-ride for a BA in History."

My heart started racing and I almost got sick. I had never dreamed of going out of state for college, let alone to a city like New Orleans.


	24. Chapter 24

After running inside and exclaiming to Elena and Jeremy that there was a huge possibility that I would actually get to go to college, I went to sleep. It didn't concern me that I had literally never been in contact with Tulane University or knew anyone that had.

Over the next few days, I kept trying to help Elena adjust to being a vampire and I kept ignoring calls from Rebekah. I felt bad about it but Elena had actually died because of her. Strangely enough, after she drowned in Matt's truck that night, my weird twin connection with her seemed to be broken. Elena had almost lost control with Matt last night and yet I didn't really feel anything from her. It's like she was permanently dead.

I was shaken from really great thoughts about college and dealing with Elena when I got a call from Stefan. "I've got a pretty huge favor to ask of you, Vivian."

"Of course," I replied. Anything Stefan wanted was something I could handle. When Damon was asking for a favor, that was when you had to be worried.

"I know that you and Alaric sometimes got into researching supernatural history so have you ever heard of the Five?" I wrinkled my forehead.

"No, I can't say that I have. Why?"

"You know that hunter, Connor, who's been wreaking havoc all over town lately?"

"Sure but I thought Damon and Klaus took care of him." I had a feeling about where this was going.

"Well, here's the thing. Klaus saved him because he's apparently 'one of the Five' and he has these tattoos that only Jeremy can see. I don't know what it means but Klaus has got the guy strapped up in some torture table from the Inquisition and he's wanting me to make nice with Rebekah so that she'll talk."

"Why would Rebekah know anything? Better yet, why would she do any favors for Klaus right now?" Rebekah had moved out and was living by herself for the time being because even Klaus had rejected her after what had happened with Elena.

"According to Klaus, the Five are a group of hunters that are dedicated to keeping this one evil subdued. Rebekah had an affair with one back in the 1100s. She knows what they're up to and Klaus has said something about them may help us with the Elena problem."

"What 'Elena problem?' She's a vampire now. We knew it was coming."

"Don't tell me you haven't noticed that she can only drink from the vein." I groaned. I was a little sick of everyone acting like Elena was a special case now that she was a vampire. After Caroline turned, we watched almost everyone turn away from her. Matt and Bonnie especially rejected everything she did to apologize for turning; an event that wasn't even her fault. But Elena turns and everyone drops everything just to make sure that she's comfortable.

"She has to adapt at some point, Stefan. Every vampire I have ever met has had some kind of problem that was out of their control. If you can cope with what happens to you, then I'm confident in Elena." I could almost hear him shaking his head at me.

"What if this involves Jeremy more than it already has?" I shook my head. "You know that nothing is ever as simple as it seems anymore." I groaned again.

"Yes, unfortunately I do. What do you need me to do?"

"There's a pretty big possibility that Rebekah will get daggered tonight. Her instincts will already be flaring once I talk to her."

"Just because I'm there won't ease her suspicions. Besides, just because she hasn't officially apologized for what she did to Elena and Matt doesn't mean that she deserves to rot for ninety years in a coffin."

"It's not gonna be for ninety years."

And that's how I ended up at Klaus' house for dinner.

I'll admit that hearing Klaus and Stefan bicker was a favorite pastime of mine but this evening was just everyone at each other's throats. I kept looking down at my phone in my lap because if I looked out of the room, I saw the hunter. I figured pretending I wasn't there was better than actually participating in their argument.

"Rebekah, love, eat your veggies," said Klaus. I started pushing mine around on my plate before glancing back down at my phone.

"I'm not eating until you apologize," said Rebekah.

"For which indiscretion? There have been so many."

"You broke my neck and you took me for granted."

"That's what big brothers do, sweetheart!" Well, he had a point.

"Let me just name the million other people I'd rather be having dinner with right now," said Stefan. I laughed. Klaus looked over at me and I gestured at Rebekah.

"Alright," groaned Klaus. "I'm sorry. I often forget how delicate you are. Forgive me?"

"I'll take it under consideration," replied Rebekah.

"Okay, good," said Stefan. "Now you two can stop brooding and Vivian can stop texting Elijah under the table." I looked up, outraged.

"I am not," I said. Stefan only raised an eyebrow. Okay, maybe I was. I slid my phone back into my purse and avoided looking at either Klaus or Rebekah.

"Well, I'd like to hear something about Rebekah's hunter." I finally started eating. I lived for hearing this stuff. The Originals had lived for so long and I couldn't begin to imagine everything they'd seen.

"Right. Alexander. He was a nice chap, forgoing the obvious issues," said Klaus. "He was looking for creatures of the night, which is why we felt quite safe around him wearing our daylight rings. Elijah and I asked him about his order and he explained that he wanted all vampires dead, which of course, we'd already figured out. But when we inquired about how he intended to achieve that, he mentioned that they had the ultimate weapon; one no vampire could survive."

"So this is all about a weapon of some kind?" I asked.

"Not just any weapon," said Rebekah.

"Rebekah, love, don't get ahead of the story," said Klaus.

"How is a weapon the answer to all of my prayers?" asked Stefan. I saw Rebekah and Klaus exchange what could only be described as a mischievous look. "Okay, why don't we just skip with the theatrics and get right to the point?"

"Not quite yet. Because in order to find this weapon, we need to solve the puzzle, which seems to have disappeared."

"What puzzle?"

"The tattoo," I said, just now figuring it out. But what did this mean for Jeremy if he could see it and no one else could? "It's a map, isn't it?"

"Vivian, on top of things as usual," said Klaus. "The map will lead us to the weapon."

"Well, fat lot of good a tattoo's going to do if we can't see it," said Rebekah.

"We can't but someone else can." Klaus turned to say something to the girls that had served us dinner. "Why don't you tell the hybrid to bring him in?" I dropped my fork onto my plate. "You see, the hunter was so eager to get to the bottom of his mystery tattoos that he mentioned there was only one other person who could see them."

"Don't you dare," I muttered.

A hybrid waltzed into the room, manhandling Jeremy. I launched out of my seat to run to my brother at the same time as Stefan. Miraculously, I reached Jeremy and Stefan didn't. "Get your hands off my brother," I said to the hybrid and weirdly enough, I watched as the guy backed off. I grabbed hold of Jeremy's arm and he only nodded down at me. He wasn't worried about this. I turned to look back into the room and I saw that Klaus had blocked Stefan.

"I wouldn't do that, Stefan," said Klaus as he approached me and Jeremy. My grip tightened on Jeremy's arm. "You see, I've heard that young Jeremy here is a bit of an artist." Klaus moved to Jeremy's other side and I felt my brother move closer to me.

"I'm not helping you with anything," Jeremy replied. "Not after what you and your family have done to my sisters." I'd felt for at least five minutes like I was the one protecting Jeremy for once and he'd managed to flip that on me.

Klaus only pursed his lips. All at once, I felt Rebekah jerk me away from Jeremy and pull the Gilbert ring off my finger.

"I'm afraid you are," said Klaus. I looked over at Stefan, just to see what he was doing and I was unsurprised to see him rolling his eyes.

"He's not stupid, Klaus," said Stefan. "He knows you and Rebekah would never lay a hand on Vivian." And in the same vein, if the two of them (Klaus especially), wanted to keep me as a friend, they wouldn't hurt Jeremy.

"It's fine," I interjected. "Just draw them the map, Jeremy. Then we'll both be out of here." Jeremy gave me a nod and Rebekah pressed the ring back into my hand.

"Sorry," she muttered.

"It's not a big deal," I replied. I wanted to ask why she was all of a sudden willing to be at Klaus's beck and call not twenty minutes after he'd initially apologized but that was none of my business. No matter what everyone else in town thought, these people weren't my family and I didn't know everything that was happening with them.

After sitting back down at the table, I turned to Klaus. "Well, why don't you tell Stefan and I a little bit more about the tattoo?"

He nodded back at me. "My sister's suitor was unwilling to tell us anything. Rebekah however was more than willing to investigate, isn't that right?" He quickly told us that Alexander revealed that a sword was the key to reading the symbols of the tattoo but that he had also figured out that the Originals were vampires. "Rebekah's boyfriend threw a slumber party that night. He and his brothers put us all down in our sleep. Rebekah, Elijah, Kol, Finn, and me."

"How was I supposed to know?" retorted Rebekah.

"Cheers to my sister's uncanny ability to choose men."

"I thought the daggers didn't work on you," I said.

"They don't. So as you can imagine, I was rather angry with Rebekah after massacring the lot of them. I figured that she must not have been a total fool. Alexander had told her something. So go on then, Rebekah! Tell them what the hunter told you the tattoo leads to! What's this great weapon that could bring upon the end of the vampire species?" I looked over at Rebekah, who was clearly regretting ever coming here.

"A cure," she replied. "He said there was a cure."

I shook my head in disbelief. "That's impossible."

"There is no cure for vampirism!" said Stefan.

"I'm telling the truth, Stefan," said Rebekah as we all stood up.

"Then why wouldn't you have searched for it and found it already?"

"Because when the hunters drew their final breath that night, the marks disappeared from their bodies," said Klaus. "The map was gone, the brotherhood of the Five was extinct. For 900 years there was not a whisper of another hunter until our friend in there showed up in town."

"Well, now you have the map," I said.

"So what should we do next?" asked Rebekah.

"_We _won't do anything. You can't be trusted, little sister," said Klaus. "You'll be blabbing this secret to the first boy who calls you pretty. I mean, it's pathetic, isn't it? How she continues to hand her heart to any man who shows her a hint of affection. You think she would've learned by now from the endless cycle of disappointment and deception!" I'll admit, he wasn't wrong in his perception of her but that didn't make Rebekah a bad person. She just wanted to be loved and in a way, that's all Klaus wanted too.

"But I haven't!" exclaimed Rebekah. "Instead I stay with you and let you leech every moment of happiness from my life. You know, at least I fared better than Finn. Klaus left him daggered because he was tired of his judgment." Stefan and I exchanged a look, like it might be best if we left now.

"No, Finn was a dullard! He's more interesting lying in a box."

"You want the cure for Elena, don't you? So you can have more than one way to make your bloody hybrids. That's why you involved Stefan, who hates your guts, and Vivian, who only puts up with you because you could kill her. You know what, screw your stupid cure!" I watched in disbelief as Rebekah left the three of us standing in the foyer, Stefan and I staring at Klaus as though we were scared that he might rip our hearts out.

"Well, I hope you got what you wanted out of her before you chased her off," said Stefan.

"She never would have told me what I needed to know but she'll tell you." I almost threw my hands up in the air.

"No, Stefan," I said. "Come on."

"What do you need me to find out?" he asked, completely ignoring me.

"The map is useless without the tool to decipher it," said Klaus. "She knows where the sword is and you're going to get her to tell you."

"Look, Stefan, you know this isn't right," I said. I could tell that he knew it wasn't, that he already felt guilty for it.

"This is an opportunity for you both to save Elena from the very thing that's going to destroy her. You can call it a deal with the devil if you like."

"Well, that's exactly what this is," I said. "Rebekah doesn't deserve this and I'm sorry but neither does Elena. She turned into a vampire, like millions of other people. She needs to have a chance to learn to deal with it. Besides, Klaus, I made a deal with you to spare her." Klaus only shook his head. I could feel myself starting to get really frustrated. I should have known that eventually he would go back on his word but he hadn't taken blood from me in a very long time so none of this made any sense.

"Stefan's not going to walk away from this deal, Vivian, whether you're right or not." Unfortunately, Klaus was very right. Stefan had been blaming himself for the way Elena's life had been going this entire time. If there even was a cure, he would stop at nothing to get it.

"Okay, well, I'm going home. The two of you can deal with this and I'm going to pretend like it never happened."

"That would be very wise on your part, Vivian, because otherwise, I'll compel you to forget all of this, like I'm going to do to Jeremy." I bit my lower lip. "If either of you say a word of this to anyone else, it could mean everyone's death."

"Don't worry about it," I said, vaguely disguising how angry I was becoming. "I can keep a secret."

As far as I knew, Klaus daggered Rebekah and then set off for Italy to uncover the sword the next day. I felt guilty about Jeremy being compelled again but what choice did I have anymore? Everything seemed to be spiraling out of control.

Stefan called me the next day to tell me that the hunter had somehow escaped from Klaus's hybrids and I groaned.

"How the heck did that happen?" I asked.

"I think the guy is a lot stronger than we've been giving him credit for," Stefan responded. "But he's apparently taken Matt, Jeremy, and April hostage at the Grill. He's looking for a fight."

"No, he's looking to make his tattoo grow. Well, making sure they're safe should be everyone's top priority. I don't care about the cure or whatever. But if you're to use Connor as the map, he has to be kept alive. You need to keep Damon in check if you want Connor to live out the day."

"It would be a hell of a lot easier if we could just tell him what's going on."

"Are you ready to have that fight with Klaus?" I heard Stefan make a groan of disapproval. "Look, if you have to tell Damon, then do it. Just please make sure Jeremy is okay."

Stefan, understandably, did not let me get involved. No one ever did. I was at home when it was over and Jeremy walked into the house and pulled me into a hug. I looked over his shoulder to see Elena, covered in blood and Damon and Stefan behind her, shaking their heads at me. Stefan must've broken down and told Damon what was going on… and Elena, the wildcard that I had forgotten about earlier, had killed the hunter.

"You did what you needed to do," I said as I helped Elena get into the shower. She didn't want to talk about it but she also didn't want to be alone. "I understand you feel guilty but he was just gonna keep coming back."

"I don't think I can handle this, Vivian," she replied, her voice unsteady.

"Yes, you can. It's a rite of passage into being a vampire. That hunter deserved what was coming to him."

I told Elena to sleep it off and that I wouldn't bother her anymore. I knew she wanted to think through it and deal with it in her own way. I knew she couldn't sleep when I heard her get up in the middle of the night. I moaned and crawled out of bed. I should try and talk to her about it, whether she wanted to or not.

I walked downstairs to find Elena pacing in the kitchen. "Elena, are you okay?" I asked. "It's 3 in the morning." She turned and looked at me, like I had snuck up on her. "You look spooked. Are you alright?"

"You're not here," she whispered. "I'm dreaming. I have to be dreaming."

"I live here, Elena. What the hell is going on?" I turned and called over my shoulder. "Jeremy!"

"You're a ghost. You're dead. I killed you." I raised my eyebrows. Was she sleep walking or something? "You're haunting me. You're a ghost."

"Jeremy!" I called again, even as I heard him clambering down the stairs. I moved toward Elena slowly. "Something's not right with you, Elena." I had barely touched her arm when she moved so fast that I couldn't see her. I felt something hit my throat and I gasped, immediately choking. I fell to the floor when Elena yanked a kitchen knife out of my neck and immediately started screaming.

"Vivian! Oh, my God." She started crying and I felt someone grab me. Jeremy. Then I closed my eyes.

Hours later, I gasped and shot up off the couch. Jeremy was beside me and instantly held me close. I saw Stefan and Damon in the living room with me but no Elena. When Jeremy let me go, Damon shrugged.

"Well, Elena won't say it because she's not a fan of jokes but thanks for not ditching the family ring after it drove Ric crazy," said Damon.

"Any time," I responded. "Please tell me what's happening with Elena."

"Hell, if we knew, you'd know."

"I think she's hallucinating."

"From what? Her first kill?"

"Where is she?"

"She's in the shower," said Jeremy, sitting beside me. "She had blood all over her." My blood. I almost heaved. I heard my phone start ringing in the distance. Damon groaned.

"Does that thing ever stop ringing?" he asked.

"I'm sure it's Klaus," said Stefan. I leaned back on the couch.

"I am not dealing with that today," I said. "I was stabbed in the neck at 3am this morning. Don't I get a mental health day?" Jeremy laughed.

"Yes," he said. "You do but I don't. Bonnie's got me volunteering for something over at the school so I gotta go… if you're okay." I nodded.

"I'm totally fine. We'll update you if we find out anything about Elena." The three of us watched in silence as Jeremy left the house and then we breathed a sigh of relief.

"Look, Vivian, I know you're still mad about the other night but we've got to do some damage control with Klaus so that he doesn't kill everyone we know," said Stefan. I rolled my eyes.

"_You've _got to do some damage control with him. _I _have to do no such thing. I'm on a mental health day, remember? And on second thought, I don't even care about this cure to begin with." I heard my phone start ringing again and I almost yelled through my teeth.

"Either someone answers that blasted thing or I'm going to do it," said Damon, "and I'll tell him that I know about the cure."

"Fine," I said, getting up off the couch. I found my phone sitting on the kitchen counter, where I'd no doubt laid it before Elena stabbed me. It flashed up that I had 13 missed calls. I sighed as I picked it up. Almost on cue, it started ringing. "Hello?"

"Vivian, I've been calling you all morning," said Klaus. "Where have you been?" I took a deep breath because it really seemed like Klaus had been worried about me. I kept having to remind myself that he was actually interested in me beyond what I could do for him.

"Well, I've actually been dead all morning," I said slowly. "Elena… I think she was hallucinating and she ended up stabbing me in the neck with a knife."

"That's why I've been calling you. Are you at home?"

"Yes," I responded.

"Good. I'm on your porch. Bring Stefan with you." I hung up the phone and pointed to the front door.

"Klaus is outside," I said. "He's been calling me so much because he wanted to warn me about Elena's hallucinations." Damon rolled his eyes.

"He makes me sick," said Damon.

"He can hear you," said Stefan as he opened the front door.

"You know," said Klaus when the two of us walked out onto my front porch, "this might be a little nicer if I was just invited inside." I started to say something and Stefan cut me off.

"Your fake charm doesn't work on us," said Stefan. _Speak for yourself, _I thought. "It's bad enough that we're out here talking to you. What do you know about the hallucinations?"

"He killed the original hunters," I said. Klaus smiled at me then, one of those really nice smiles that made me feel like he really liked me. I felt my heart pound.

"When one kills a hunter, there's a bit of a consequence," said Klaus.

"What kind of a consequence?" asked Stefan.

"Hunters were spelled by witches to kill vampires. If you prevent one from fulfilling his destiny, then he'll take you down with him."

"What do you mean? Connor's dead."

"I mean, Connor's death won't prevent him from making Elena his final vampire kill." I covered my mouth with my hand. "She'll need to come with me now. I'll lock her up and keep her away from any sharp wooden objects."

"She's not going anywhere with you."

"Stefan, please," I said. "Klaus has clearly lived through this. Let him do what he thinks is best for Elena."

"If we leave her alone, she'll take her own life before the day is out," said Klaus.

"I believe you," I replied. "Do it."

Elena came bursting out of the house at just the right time with Damon on her tail. Klaus took her without acknowledging the rest of us. Damon threw his arms up in the air and Stefan only looked at me like I was a traitor.

"You let him take her, therefore you have to get her back," said Stefan. I raised my eyebrows.

"Look, I understand being skeptical about the things Klaus says most of the time but he's got to be right on this," I said.

"Not three days ago, you two watched as he practically tore Rebekah apart in front of you. Rebekah, who is the only sibling that Klaus seems to actually like," said Damon.

"Try all you want. I'm not gonna sweet talk Klaus into letting Elena go."

I had to admit that I was worried about Elena because she was clearly not okay but being alone was what she needed. If she hallucinated near anyone else, they might actually die and it would be on me and the Salvatores for not taking care of her.

Damon was off figuring out some stuff about the hunters with Bonnie and Stefan was planning on talking to Tyler about something to do with the hybrids. I was at the Grill, trying to ignore everything that had been happening with Elena since she turned. I was reading and attempting to eat some fries at the same time. It wasn't easy. I vaguely registered that someone slid into the booth in front of me and I looked up from my copy of Tender Is The Night. My heart immediately started pounding when I saw that it was Klaus.

"How are you this evening, Vivian?" he asked. I suddenly realized how boring and stiff I must look. Sitting by myself at the town's only hot spot and reading a Fitzgerald novel like I was some kind of hipster.

"I'm doing alright," I said, quickly shutting my book and sneaking it into my bag. "How about you?"

"I would be doing better if I knew how Elena managed to get past a couple of hybrid guards."

"You're not serious," I said. There was only one person who would have managed that and it was Stefan. He had been going to talk to Tyler anyway.

"Unfortunately, I am. I hate to bother you about this as it seems you already have enough to deal with regarding Elena." I wanted to say something like, 'Oh, of course it doesn't bother me,' or 'I've really enjoyed taking care of her' but I hadn't. Klaus was right. I was completely over Elena and everything to do with her newbie vampire situation. "I just felt like I should warn you."

"I appreciate it," I responded. "I think Damon's trying to figure out a way to stop her hallucinations and I keep waiting for him to tell me something about it but mostly, I just have a bad feeling." Klaus made a face at me, like he knew exactly what I was thinking about.

"About Elena or about Jeremy?"

"Maybe both," I replied.

"Jeremy is a potential, Vivian," Klaus said, more solemn than he normally was with me. "With Connor gone, if Jeremy kills a vampire, he will be activated. It might be what stops Elena's hallucinations." I tried not to make a face of disappointment but I nodded.

"Then that explains why Damon's avoiding me." Klaus only nodded in return. I really didn't know how I felt about my baby brother turning into a slayer and I wondered how he felt about it. Still, all of this was happening purely because of Elena and that was starting to really piss me off, whether she asked for it or not.

"Well, on a happier note, are you planning on attending the Miss Mystic Falls pageant?" I laughed.

"I think the better question is whether you are." He gave me a cute laugh and almost looked embarrassed that he'd asked me about it. "But yes, I will because I'm from a founding family and because Caroline has to make sure everyone is there to watch as she crowns the new winner."

"Don't you need a date for that occasion?" Oh, here we go. I should have expected this and more than anything, I probably should have said no. Damon was going to have a field day with this.

"Are you saying you'd like to escort me?" I felt myself start to get hot in the face. Was I blushing? Please tell me that I wasn't blushing.

"Yes, I'd love to." I nodded and gave him a real smile. I think the last time I'd been this genuinely happy had been the time the Originals had thrown their ball. Whether it was right or wrong to be going on this date with Klaus, I knew deep down that I would enjoy it.

When I woke up the day of the Miss Mystic pageant, I realized that I had barely talked to Elena about the hallucinations she'd had or the fact that Jeremy had killed one of Klaus's hybrids in order to stop them. When Damon called me that morning, it all became pretty clear.

"So any idea why Stefan and Elena broke up?" he asked. "Because Stefan is clearly in a mood and he's being all shady, which is never a good sign."

"He and Elena broke up?" I asked, my jaw almost on the floor. I knew that she and Stefan had had some problems as of late but that they'd actually broken up? I'll admit, I felt that they were an endgame couple.

"She hasn't talked to you about it?"

"No, not really. That's pretty weird. She used to talk to me about Stefan all the time so I can't imagine… Wait." It all clicked.

"Wait, what? Did you just figure it out?"

"It's about you, Damon. It has to be. Otherwise, why wouldn't she talk to me about it? Why would Stefan be acting all weird to you?"

"Look, I doubt that." I heard in Damon's voice though that he knew it was true… and that he was happy about it. "But here's the thing about Stefan and how weird he's acting… it's like he's still working with Klaus. He hasn't told me anything about the plan to get a hunter to fully complete their mark for our map and before you say anything, I told him to take Jeremy off the table unless we wanted him to end up like that Connor guy."

"Thank you so much."

"Don't thank me yet. There's not another hunter around and if Stefan is still in with Klaus, they're looking to use Jeremy." I hadn't talked to Klaus explicitly about the map and Jeremy's beginning tattoo at the Grill the other day for precisely that reason; he would use Jeremy because technically, it wouldn't kill him.

I made myself get ready for the Miss Mystic Falls pageant in a blur. I wore a lavender dress that cut off right above my knees and French-braided my hair. I was nervous as I paced around outside the Lockwood mansion waiting to see either Klaus or Damon, who was coming to find some stuff out from Professor Shane. Damon sent me a series of texts before I caught sight of Klaus.

_DS: Elena just admitted that she and Stefan broke up because of me._

_DS: Things are looking good for us both today, Viv. _

_DS: Love Potion #9_

I quickly rolled my eyes and responded with a winky face before shoving my phone back into my purse.

"Hello, Vivian," said Klaus as he arrived in front of me. I tried to tell myself to not show nerves but I honestly doubted that was possible. "You look stunning." I kind of laughed to cover up the fact that my palms were sweating.

"Thank you. So do you."

Caroline immediately started introducing the girls of this year's pageant and Klaus and I remarked on all of them. I turned towards him when I saw April Young about to walk down the stairs. Her date was nowhere in sight. "Have you seen Jeremy?" I asked. Klaus gave me an innocent look.

"No, why?" I breathed a sigh of relief as Matt went to take Jeremy's place as her date.

"He's supposed to be April's date. At least, that's what he told me this morning." I had yet to see Jeremy today and I wondered whether Klaus's cute look of innocence and the way he seemed to keep handing me drinks had anything to do with it. "If you knew where he was, you'd tell me, wouldn't you?" I put on my best sympathetic expression, which wasn't hard to do.

"I know that you're worried about him and his marks-"

"I'm worried about him losing his mind," I replied, cutting Klaus short. He looked down at me like he pitied me for everything that I was going through. It made me realize that I hadn't just agreed to this date because I owed him a debt. I had agreed to do this today because I liked him and because, against all odds, he seemed to like me.

"If his mark grows, I'll look out for him, Vivian. He's not going to end up like Connor, I promise you." I nodded at him.

"I'm sorry," I muttered. "I didn't mean to accuse you of anything. I'm just…"

"You're stressed, love. We all get put under too much pressure sometimes." And just like that, Klaus had immediately put me at ease.

After the contestants danced with each other, I walked around the lawn with Klaus for a while. I had to be on my fourth glass of champagne and I was grateful for it. If I was at least a small bit tipsy, I wouldn't think about the time that I had walked around this same lawn with Elijah, before I had ever met Klaus. I need to give myself the what-the-hell-are-you-doing speech because doing this with two brothers was just a completely messed up thing to do. But Elijah wasn't here. We kept in contact over the phone. That wasn't a real relationship.

"Did you compete last year?" Klaus asked, making my mind stop running on its usual treadmill.

"No, I didn't," I replied. "It was something our mother was really into and after she died, I couldn't bring myself to do it. But Elena did it because it was so important to our mother so I guess we grieved a little differently."

"I'm sorry," he apologized. I shook my head at him. "I've never heard you talk about your parents before." Part of me didn't want to talk about it but another part of me just begged to rant about my family to someone other than Damon and Stefan, to someone who wouldn't judge me for everything I thought about them. I knew that Klaus felt the same way I did, at least marginally.

"I hate to say it but I wasn't really close with my parents, my real ones or my adoptive ones. I've always just been closer to Elena and Jeremy, particularly Jeremy."

"Did they favor Elena too?" Klaus asked me lowly, as though he was afraid someone might overhear us.

"Yeah, I think they did." I looked over at Klaus because he had stopped walking. "But that's just a feeling every kid has, that their parents like their brothers or sisters better than them." Klaus nodded at me.

"Sometimes it's real," he responded. I knew that it had been real for him. Mikael and Esther had both hated him, a product of her affair with a werewolf. I knew I had never been hated but I had been pushed to the side for Elena multiple times. So had Jeremy. "Well, I happen to like you better than Elena." I laughed.

"Thanks, I think," I said. He laughed back. "I am really sorry that I've been a downer the entire day. I just keep thinking about Elena and the cure and everything."

"You're completely against her having the cure, aren't you?"

"Have I made it that obvious?" I replied. He only nodded. "Would you want it? I know Rebekah does." Klaus only made a face at me, which I laughed. "That was a stupid question, huh?"

"I'd be a fool to give up being the most powerful supernatural creature on Earth, wouldn't I?"

"Oh, I don't know. It might just bring you down to my size."

"Well, you could be made stronger." I chuckled and shook my head.

"I am not having this conversation again. I would be a_ terrible _vampire. I would rip people's heads off left and right just for looking at Jeremy or Elena the wrong way."

"I don't know. I think you'd be so controlled that you would be terrifying. If some poor fool made you mad, they wouldn't know it until you ripped their heart out. Just like Elijah, walking around so poised, with a handkerchief to wipe the blood off your hands."

"You've thought about this a lot," I responded. Scarily enough, I could vaguely see the picture he was painting of me as a vampire. Klaus smiled at me a little mischievously.

Klaus took me home after the pageant and after I learned that Matt would be moving in with me and Jeremy while Elena moved out. Jeremy's hunter instincts made him want to kill her so Elena figured that she wouldn't tempt him.

"If Elena is moving in with Damon and Stefan then I cannot wait to hear more about this drama," I told Klaus when we arrived in front of my house. It would feel different without Elena there for a while but what choice did anyone have?

"I'll admit that their triangle is certainly entertaining," Klaus replied. He walked me up to the porch and I glanced over to look at the spot where Alaric had practically killed me, almost unconsciously. He shook me from those thoughts immediately. "I know that you must be worried for Jeremy but we will make sure that he doesn't do anything rash."

"Thank you," I said back before turning to hug him. "I had a nice time." Klaus was a natural hugger and let me get as close to him as I wanted. It was easy for me to rest my head near the nape of his neck.

"I did too," he said lowly. I wondered if I'd somehow made him nervous because his voice sounded shaky. I quickly let go of him and moved back a step. The two of us just looked at the other for what felt like a while before I finally moved to open my door. I heard him walk down the steps and I released a breath. We were so awkward around each other. I mean, I knew I was awkward but why would he be?

"Vivian," Klaus said. I felt my heart pound but I turned around nervously. He was standing on the sidewalk so I moved to stand at the top of the stairs. "Are your friends still angry about you being so kind to me?" I shrugged and all of a sudden, felt a chill. Was I getting goosebumps? Was I blushing? Please tell me that my palms aren't sweating.

"Maybe," I muttered. What the heck was going on? "But I don't really care what they think." I could have sworn that Klaus looked as nervous as I was feeling. A thousand year old hybrid was nervous around me.

"Well, I thought that I should give them something to be angry about."

"What?" I asked, stepping down onto the sidewalk. I didn't really think I'd heard him. But when Klaus walked forward and arrived in front of me, I realized what he'd said.

I froze when Klaus put his hands to my face and bent down towards me. When I kissed him, I felt my heart start pounding unnaturally fast. His lips moved against mine slowly, like he knew that he'd caught me completely off guard. After what felt like five minutes, Klaus finally stopped touching me and awkwardly left. I watched him drive away, still completely stuck on the sidewalk.

**Hey! I'm sorry for the long wait. Basically, I've remembered just how little there was to work with in the early episodes of season four. But I wanted to ask your opinion on the baby. I still have no real idea where that's going on the show but I wanted to decide what to do with it before I write much more. So how are all of you feeling on it? Do you like Hayley? Do you like the idea of the baby? Or are you just not liking it at all? But anyway, I hope you enjoyed a longer chapter… and a first kiss ;).**


	25. Chapter 25

**Hey! Well, it seems like everyone is with me on the Hayley issue and I appreciate the input! I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's got some things in it that I really enjoyed writing, like a Vivian/Kol interaction. Tell me what you think! As usual, I only own Vivian.**

"Damon, I have called you like sixteen times! If you don't pick up the phone or at least, text me then I am going to commit myself to a mental hospital pronto! This is important! Call me back!"

I was pacing the living room, trying to decide whether to go to school today and Damon still hadn't answered me. I'd been calling him off and on since I came inside last night and yet, he'd never responded. This wasn't like him. I don't care what hussy he was sleeping with this time. I needed advice and I wasn't about to ask Caroline or Bonnie what to do.

Five minutes later, my phone rang. I made a noise somewhere between a groan and a sigh. "Damon, if you don't-"

"Pause," he replied. "If you're calling to bitch at me about the sire bond thing, I already know and I don't need the extra judgy-ness."

"What? No, this is about- Wait, did you just say something about a sire bond?" This still didn't surpass what I was going through.

"No one's told you yet? I guess that was a blessing in disguise."

"What on Earth are you talking about? Tyler? The hybrids? Klaus? Because I've got something that I need to tell you."

"No, it's about Elena. Wait, what do you need to tell me?" I was wrong. This totally surpassed what I was going through.

"It can wait. What the hell is happening with Elena now?" I moaned.

"Gee, it's like it strains you to be there for her." I wanted to snap and ask how I was supposed to react to everything in this town revolving around my sister but Damon kept going. "You know Elena was turned with my blood in her system? There's been some unforeseen consequences."

"That's impossible. I thought a sire bond between vampires was incredibly rare?"

"It is. Unfortunately, it's happened to me once before so maybe not quite so rare."

"Oh, my God, Damon, I'm so sorry. I would never have guessed."

"Me neither. I guess we should all be glad for Saint Stefan and White Knight Caroline."

"How did they figure it out?"

"Something about how everything I suggested was something Elena jumped at and that her only being able to drink from the vein was because I said she couldn't drink anything else. They think she's been doing all this to make me happy. And now, on top of what happened last night…"

I froze. "What happened last night? Why didn't you answer me sooner?"

"Well, it's kinda awkward to talk to you about."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"Yeah and it would be wonderful, if only Elena wasn't doing everything I wanted her to."

"Hey, this can all be fixed. She already had feelings for you before she turned and she can break the bond. Tyler has broken it and tons of the other hybrids have. She can get some pointers from them and then everything will be back to normal. There's nothing to feel guilty about."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I know that. It's Stefan that needs convincing. So what did you want to talk to me about so badly that you literally called me at 2am?" What was going on in my head paled in comparison to what Damon was going through.

"Look, I'll bother you with it later, once the sire bond thing is finished."

"Hey, if it's important, the sire bond thing can wait." This was one of those times that Damon was going to be a superb friend to me and I didn't want to spoil it by talking about something that would piss him off. But this was important. So important that I had barely slept last night.

"It's fine," I said. "Just take care of this stuff with Elena and I'll tell you about it later."

Damon didn't want to take my word for it but eventually, he backed down and just went to find something that he thought might help Elena. Later in the day, Elena called, begging me to go to girls' night with her, Caroline, and Bonnie. Deep down, I wanted to but I also knew that I shouldn't. Elena would probably use this occasion to tell everyone what had happened between her and Damon and that she was really excited about it. But Caroline would know the deal with the sire bond and asking her to shut her mouth is practically impossible. I can barely stand her when she's constantly talking bad about Damon. Some things I agree with her on him about but things that were beyond his control, such as the sire bond, didn't make it okay for him to be demeaned. Besides, if I let it slip that Klaus and I had kissed each other, the three of them may completely disown me.

It turned out to be lucky that I didn't show up because Tyler's hybrids were wrestling with him for command and wanted to do something that would piss Klaus off. They had to switch plans when they showed up at the Salvatore house and I wasn't there. They took Caroline instead and Elena and Tyler freed her.

I have to admit though that something like that sounded like a lot more fun than sitting around, moping and feeling guilty. To be honest, I didn't know why I felt guilty. This was no different than what the situation with Elijah had always been and he's never been exactly forthcoming with emotions. Then again, neither am I, really. But Klaus was different than Elijah and so different from me that none of this even makes sense anymore.

Over the next couple of days, Bonnie called me and asked me to come to the lake house to help train Jeremy not to want to kill Elena. She thought that it would be important for me to be present so that Jeremy had a human family member to focus on. I decided to do it after I baked a cake for the Winter Wonderland celebration downtown.

I was still more than a little reserved on the whole idea of Jeremy killing multiple vampires to complete some mark that will lead us to the cure. A cure that Elena didn't even seem preoccupied with. I decided I should probably tell everyone to leave him alone after they helped him not want to kill our friends.

I rode in the back of Damon's car while he and Elena had a pretty weird conversation for a while. Then the conversation turned to me.

"So we definitely have the time now," said Damon. "What was all the fuss about the other day?" Elena raised her eyebrows at me in the rearview mirror.

"Wait, what's going on?" she asked.

"Oh, not much. Vivian just called me fourteen times in the middle of the night a couple days ago and then refused to tell me what was happening because of the whole sire bond thing."

"Oh, my God, Viv. I'm so sorry." I shook my head.

"Well, it's nothing to really be concerned about. I'm kind of over it," I replied. This was totally not true.

"Put me out of my misery, Viv!" said Damon. "I've been wondering what it was since then."

"Then don't say you didn't ask me," I said. "Look, I really didn't expect this to happen, even though I probably should have. After the Miss Mystic Pageant, Klaus took me home and we talked for a little while but then when he was leaving… he just kind of…"

"He what? He did what?" asked Elena, who seemed to be getting a kick out of this.

"Please don't make me say it."

"Oh, my God, are you serious?" demanded Damon. "That son of a bitch!"

"Yes, I'm serious and I feel like I'm going crazy. I have no idea what to do or say. I haven't heard from him yet but I'm sure that when I do, I'll make a complete fool of myself. I've just been beating myself up over it."

"Why the hell should you feel guilty about it? He's the one that started it. Besides, you didn't feel guilty about Elijah."

"Elijah is different," I muttered.

"How? How is that different?"

"Damon, come on," said Elena. "Don't give her a hard time."

Once at the lake house, I stood around with Bonnie and Jeremy and Professor Shane (who had no reason to be here other than Bonnie). I had to invite Damon and Elena inside, after Jeremy gave his consent. But Jeremy only agreed to it to attempt to stake Elena. I began to think that this would be a long day.

Stefan was calling Damon and I nonstop. He was trying to get the sword that Klaus had brought back from Italy, for some reason. He had wanted me to be a distraction and I think he got a little angry with me when I blatantly told him that I wasn't doing that anymore. I wasn't sure what he was telling Damon. The most I heard from their conversation had something to do with the hybrids. I made it a point to tell myself to get home early tonight.

Professor Shane strapped Jeremy to a chair in the middle of the living room and began to explain what his idea was. "All Jeremy feels when he sees a vampire is a burning desire to kill them. Even if he consciously doesn't want to, as in Elena's case, it's his subconscious that's calling the shots."

"Persuasion helps reverse your conscious thoughts," said Bonnie.

"Think of it as a kind of conditioned response, right? See vampire, kill vampire. What I'm doing is creating a kind of middle step. It's like a detour where his subconscious learns to recognize you as someone he loves, someone he wants to protect. And that gives him a choice." Jeremy's eyes were closed and I began to question whether he was hypnotized. "He can choose to take the detour instead of the conditioned response. Okay, you can talk to him. He'll listen."

Elena looked wary. "I'm not sure what to say."

"You chose to do this here at your family's vacation house, right? So you can just start by telling him why."

"Every holiday we came here. This place was family and when Mom and Dad died, Jenna made us come here and we thought it was an awful idea but it was like they were here with us." Jeremy opened his eyes and I held my breath. "They would have wanted all of us to stick together, Jer… to fight for each other, no matter what."

"Jeremy, how do you feel about Elena right now?" asked Shane.

"She ruined our lives," he responded. "She's not even my real sister. She's just the reason that everyone I've ever loved has died. Vivian is the only family I have left." I shook my head.

"Jeremy," I said slowly.

"She means nothing to me," he said. "I will kill her, even if that means I die myself." Shane made a noise and snapped Jeremy out of it. I felt like I was going to be sick. "Did it work?" I shook my head again.

After a little while of deliberation, we decided to have Jeremy attach his detour feelings to someone else who wasn't a vampire. He wanted it to be me. So Bonnie and I decided to try again and to make me Jeremy's emotional anchor. It made me feel good to link up with Jeremy because we had always been close and I knew that this would bring us closer.

Finally, it seemed like we'd figured it out so Bonnie told Elena to stand still and not move. I watched as Jeremy handed Damon the stake he'd been carrying around all day and then walk up to Elena and give her a hug. I breathed a sigh of relief. It had worked. It had actually worked.

I decided to be happy about that small moment of success before my phone began ringing. I had to admit, I found it strange that everyone seemed to be getting calls off and on all day but then not mentioning anything about it to me.

I hesitated before answering because Klaus was on the end of the line. "Hello?" I said slowly.

"Vivian, where are you?"

"I'm at my family's lake house. We're trying to help Jeremy not want to kill everyone we know. Is everything okay?"

"Yes, it is now. Just stay there for a little while. You'll be better off."

"What's going on?"

"Vivian, I think you need to take a look at your friends and realize that they are lying to you because you've always been lovely to me. Good luck with Jeremy." He hung up before I had the chance to question what he was telling me.

He was right. He was so entirely right that it made me want to punch Damon in the face. Confronting Damon did nothing but confirm what Klaus had told me. I knew there had been something going on with the hybrids but I didn't expect them to try and kill Klaus and by extension, Rebekah.

"You either start actually telling me what's going on or I can stop helping you," I told Damon. He rolled his eyes.

"Come on, Vivian. You know that we take these shots when we can," he replied.

"Why? What has Klaus done to any of us in months? Oh right, he actually tried to help Elena during her hallucinations from the hunters' curse, he's going out of his way to help you guys with the cure, and he's been nothing but nice to me. I know that that bugs you but Klaus doesn't deserve death traps once a week."

"If you ask me, yes, he does."

"Then so do you. What has he done that you haven't? Or that Stefan hasn't? None of us is better than Klaus, Rebekah, or Elijah. In fact, they're better than you in at least one aspect; they haven't outright lied to my face."

"Vivian, have you forgotten everything that they have done to you and Elena and Jeremy? They have manipulated you into liking them and thinking of them as friends. Klaus wants you to turn on us and join him. He's all but said so multiple times. All of them are crazy. Just think about what they've done to you, what they've done to Elena, what they've done to Jeremy, and to me. Don't defend them just because they want you to think they've adopted you into their family. They're not your family. Your family is here and it's Elena and Jeremy and me. I would never lie to you unless I thought you could be hurt otherwise. Don't listen to them." I wanted to continue to lash out and get angry but I knew Damon was just trying to look out for me, as he always was.

After a few days of watching Damon bark orders at Jeremy, I figured that I wasn't doing much in the way of helping him. I knew he was supposed to be learning to not only defend himself but to kill vampires and that second part made me feel like they were holding back for my sake. After that, I went home.

Apparently, I had avoided getting kidnapped by Rebekah and Kol in the school. I had a feeling that Rebekah wouldn't have involved me anyway because we've always been silent allies. Elena is the one she seems to have the real problem with. But this only complicated the situation with Jeremy and the cure. Someone had undaggered Rebekah, who I knew desperately wanted to become human, and Kol was back in town, the only Original who seemed to have a real issue with me.

I have never even remotely liked Kol. He's terrifying and probably insane. Not to mention, he gets off on terrorizing Jeremy. I can't say I was surprised to hear that he showed up at the lake house, determined to stop Jeremy and Damon from completing the hunter's mark. Jeremy called me, exclaiming that Kol had threatened to rip his arms off if they went any further. He also said that Kol clearly feared Silas, the immortal who was buried with the cure.

"I know that you don't really know Kol but there must be something you can do," Jeremy said to me. I didn't even want to think of what he was implying. That somehow I could charm Kol into doing whatever I want just because I've had some luck with Klaus?

"Jeremy, I hate to say this because I really don't like the guy, but maybe he's got a point," I responded. "This is a wild goose chase and Elena doesn't even act like she wants the cure. Why should we risk awakening some crazed immortal witch for something like this?"

"It's a fairy tale, Vivian. Kol has no proof that Silas even exists."

"Crazier things have happened," I replied. "Besides, whether he's real or not isn't the point. Kol obviously is going to stop at nothing to prevent us from finding the cure. I would take him seriously when he says he's going to rip your arms off. God knows what he could compel Damon to do."

"The least you could do is get Klaus or Rebekah to do something. Hell, I see you on the phone every other day talking to Elijah. Get one of them to take care of Kol or something else will have to be done."

"Jeremy, don't tell me you're saying what I think you're saying." Jeremy was silent on the other end of the phone. "You can't touch him! Not only would it kill thousands of vampires the world over, you would then have the other Originals to deal with. Elijah may be swift and just knock your head off your shoulders but Klaus and Rebekah would never be so kind. Don't become arrogant and think that they won't touch you because of their friendship with me. Damon and Elena are already stupidly tiptoeing that line. You're smarter than that. Don't ask me to stand idly by while you get yourself killed."

"What if there is no other choice?" he asked. "Do us all a favor and try to get one of them to keep Kol in check. At the very least, I could dagger him."

One day, I swore to myself, I would find those daggers and hide them where they would never be found.

I go to the closest Original, which is unfortunately Klaus. I don't want to talk about anything romantic because it makes me feel strange and I'm not sure how to approach the subject. I decide to keep the conversation short and to the point.

Klaus comes to the Salvatore house when I call (we can't go to my house because Elena and Jeremy would never forgive me for inviting him inside). He seems to know that talking to me about us kissing would unnerve me so he doesn't outright mention it. He also doesn't outright mention that he slaughtered his remaining hybrids at the Winter Wonderland celebration. I have to admit that I'm surprised he hasn't asked me for more blood.

"Vivian, to what do I owe this pleasure?" he asked, sitting in front of me on one of the couches in the Salvatore study.

"It's not much of a pleasure, I'm afraid," I responded, more than a little scared to meet his eye. I can't imagine Klaus is happy with people getting me to call in favors all the time. I've been refusing to do it recently but I can't say no to Jeremy, especially when Damon might be in trouble. "It seems that Kol has attacked Jeremy and Damon up at the lake house because he doesn't want them completing the hunter's mark."

"Kol is a bit of a brat and he always has had a knack for making things worse than they need to be. He never did like Damon and surprisingly, he's never liked you." I felt my face get warm.

"Yeah, I got that when he talked to me at the ball at your house," I replied lowly. Klaus didn't mention Kol's reason for disliking me and he didn't have to. Kol had all but told me to my face at the ball that he didn't like what was happening between me, Elijah, and Klaus.

"Well, what that means is that he probably won't let up on Jeremy. I'll give him a call but I can't make you any promises."

"That's fine. I'm just- I'm just a little sick of worrying about Jeremy dying every other day." Klaus mustered a laugh at that.

"As long as he doesn't act foolish, I don't think Kol will kill him. He doesn't want to risk the hunter's curse." That was some relief. Klaus picked up the phone and called him. "Little brother, just two days home and I'm told you've already gone and made a mess."

I could hear Kol responding from where I was sitting. "Oh, Nik, I was just having a bit of fun. Let me guess, that twin of the doppelganger, who is such a stick in the mud, tattled on me."

I flinched and Klaus flashed his eyes toward me. "Don't speak against her, baby brother, or you'll have me to contend with. Now where is Damon Salvatore?"

"I gave him a good and proper beating, just for old time's sake." I shifted on the couch I was sitting on. Damon could handle himself but against an Original with a vendetta? I don't know how much of a chance he stood.

"Yes, well, now you've had your fun. Now let him go and come home. Avoid any more trouble or you'll find yourself back in a box."

"Hey, no need to be nasty about it!" All of this was like a joke to Kol, I could hear it in his voice. If he killed Damon, he would laugh about it.

"On the contrary, I find nastiness to be essential whenever my siblings try to sabotage me. Listen closely, Kol. Stay away from the Gilbert boy. Do you understand?"

"Fine," I heard him respond. "I won't touch him. You have my word."

When Klaus hung up, I couldn't resist asking. "Is his word as good as Elijah's?"

Klaus only shrugged. "Sometimes."

"Well, at any rate, thank you. I really appreciate it. As usual, you are a complete life saver. I'll get out of your hair." I move to stand up but Klaus cuts me off.

"Is there anything else you wanted to talk about?" he asked slyly. There it is.

"No, not really," I muttered before standing up and wrapping my cardigan around me.

"At some point we have to talk about it and at some point, you have to stop denying your feelings for me." I felt my heart pound and I saw Klaus smile, like he was trying to be bashful and not conniving.

"I'm not in denial of anything," I said.

"Really? So you're going to pretend that you haven't been feeling guilty?" I gulped.

"Why should I feel guilty?" I asked. "You started it. Now, thanks again but I really have to go."

"Vivian, Elijah doesn't-"

"Don't. Please just don't. I don't know what's happening with this or that but what's going on with Jeremy is more important than me sorting through my feelings right now. Klaus, please. I don't want to string you along. I don't want to do something to hurt people. I am _not _my sister. I am not Katherine." The more I said the words, the more it occurred to me that I was wrong. I was just like them. Because I tried to tell myself to make a decision and I never could.

"I don't want you to think of yourself as a bad person, Vivian. That's not my intention at all. I just want you to know that I have feelings for you and when you're ready to address them, I'll be here." I felt like sighing.

"There's no need for you to be so kind to me. But thank you."

After a while, Klaus left and Stefan returned with Damon. Stefan had snapped Damon's neck because Kol had compelled him to kill Jeremy. I should have realized that something like this would happen. Stefan told me it was fine for me to stay with Damon for a while, I just shouldn't let him out of the vervain cellar.

It was spending time with Damon in the cellar that allowed me to miss Elena and Jeremy plotting Kol's death.

Stefan came to relieve me of prison guard duty the next day and explained to me that Klaus was thinking we should dagger Kol. It would cure Damon of his compulsion and then Jeremy would actually be allowed to leave the house. The only problem was that Rebekah didn't want to give up the last dagger and who could blame her?

It was Stefan that revealed to me that Elena wanted Jeremy to kill Kol, not just incapacitate him with the dagger. Stefan had a newfound alliance with Rebekah and he had no intention of betraying her. Elena tried to convince him to dagger Rebekah and told him that Bonnie might have a way to get Klaus out of the picture temporarily. She even had the gall to suggest that I would be enough to calm Elijah.

"I've put up with a lot from Elena lately but this really takes the cake," I told Stefan. My anger at her was only growing. I had never been a mean or angry person but I was slowly getting to my wit's end, particularly with her. Ever since the twin bond we used to share was severed, I felt like I barely knew Elena. It couldn't all be blamed on a sire bond to Damon. But she had never really agreed with my friendships with the Originals and she masked her disapproval by pretending to be happy that I was finally branching out and going on dates. Now she was like to get Jeremy killed. "I know that you want the cure, Stefan, for you and for Elena, but at what cost? We can't stand by and let my baby brother try to take out a thousand year old Original. He'll be killed for even attempting it. Even if he does succeed, Kol's death could result in the death of millions. But Jeremy won't get that far, I know it. Even with his new abilities, he doesn't stand a chance. I can't lose him, Stefan. He's basically all I have left."

"I don't see how anything we say can convince them otherwise," he responded. "And it's not like we could simply call Rebekah and Klaus and tell them what Elena's planning. That would only get Jeremy killed faster. Kol clearly won't listen to reason." I began feeling like I couldn't breathe and I tried to tug at the Peter Pan collar on my lace shirt.

"Well, I'm gonna try to do something. Somebody's gonna die tonight, either way."

I tried to look at all of my options and figure out what would work out best. I first tried calling Elena. She didn't pick up so I assume she knew what I was calling about. Jeremy didn't answer either. I groaned and resigned myself to the fact that I was just going to have to go home.

When I got to the house, I saw Kol walking down our front porch steps. He gave me an indecipherable look when he stopped in front of me. I paused, feeling a bit like a rabbit who knows she's about to get eaten by a fox.

I feel my heart pound as Kol looks me up and down. The look on his face seems to suggest he thinks of me as dowdy. His physical similarity to Elijah only serves to make me nervous. "Vivian Gilbert," he said, sounding out my name slowly. "It's been a while. How has it been, switching between my two brothers?"

"What are you doing here, Kol?" I made myself respond.

"Oh, your sister wanted a truce. I assumed you put her up to it, self-righteous little thing you are."

"Well, then I assume you'll be on your way." I moved to walk by Kol and stumble into my house but he grabbed hold of my arm and twisted me back toward him.

"I thought there was something a little strange about your sister calling me. You wouldn't happen to know whether she's lying, would you?" I gulped and tried to make myself braver. I stared at Kol before responding, looking over his handsome face that reminded me so much of Elijah's. He truly did fear Silas and despite how he felt about me, he didn't deserve death.

"Get out of town while you can, Kol. I'm doing what I can to make sure no one reaches the cure. It's not worth my brother's life and it's not worth yours." Kol let go of my arm but gave me another once over, this time looking like he wasn't so disappointed with what he saw.

"Your little family of a newbie vampire and baby hunter cannot hurt me. Besides, why are you bothering to warn me? You can't imagine that you'll put me under your spell too." I snapped.

"Listen to me or don't. I'm not going to be mocked." I turned to go inside again but Kol moved in front of me.

"How can it be mocking if it's the truth? I can't quite fathom what either of them see in you. You're a fragile little thing that either of them might break if they held you too hard. Elijah tells me you're so kind, so innocent, so… moral. I think Nik must just admire you, a sweet girl ripe for corrupting." Kol pulled me closer and put his hand under my chin. "I'll tell you what I see. I see a frightened girl who's in over her head, much like Tatia and we all know how that turned out." I tried to jerk away.

"I am not her, Kol. I did not ask for this-"

"Oh, don't pretend you don't know what you're doing. Tatia played this game too, acting like she just couldn't possibly choose, and she played it much better." Where once I had found Kol handsome, I now found him monstrous.

"I don't care what you think of me," I spat out, ripping his hand away from my face. "Whether you believe me or not, I am on your side. You've got the time to leave and I suggest you do it."

Kol gave me a look that was somewhere between a grimace and a smirk. He brushed past me and I felt his jacket against my sweater. Then he was gone.

Once inside my house, I allowed myself to start freaking out. Jeremy was there and I let him hug me while Elena stared at me, the look on her face making it plain that she had heard everything that had been said outside.

"He said he was gonna think about the truce," said Elena. "But I guess that's blown now, thanks to you, Vivian."

"I've said it before and I'll say it again. Do not ask me to stand by and watch as you dig your grave. Do what you want, Elena, but don't drag Jeremy down with you."

"You can't honestly tell me that you believe what Kol's saying about Silas."

"I can and I am. I don't care about Silas and I don't care about the cure. What I care about is keeping Jeremy alive and that seems to be the thing that everyone is the least concerned about."

"I have to complete the mark one way or another, Viv," said Jeremy. "This is the fastest way. I swear, I'm going to stay alive."

"Who are you doing this for, Jeremy?" I asked. "Are you doing it because you have urges or are you doing it because you think Elena deserves a cure?" The look on his face confirmed all of my fears.

"Vivian, what the hell is wrong with you?" asked Elena. "You aren't yourself."

"No, Elena. You're the one who's not herself. I have been pushed to my breaking point and I refuse to let you needlessly kill a man that will result in however many murders."

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Elena answered it and I shuddered when I saw Kol.

"I've considered your request for a truce," he said. "Request denied." Elena slammed the door in his face. "I'm sorry! I've already been invited in!"

I hid myself in the hallway closet, trying to calm my breathing. I heard Kol bust down the door and I could only hope that Elena had hidden Jeremy in time. "Hide and seek? Fine by me," he said. I froze as I heard him walk past the closet door. He seemed to pace a few times then finally give in and call Klaus. "Did you know that your darling little girlfriend's brother and sister are trying to kill me?" There was a pause. "Don't pretend you aren't in on it. Your obsession to find the cure clearly trumps any sibling loyalty you once felt." Another pause. "I'm going to rip off Jeremy's arm and kill Elena just for sport. Then Vivian… hmm, I'm still deliberating on what to do with her. Kill her, drain her, kidnap her. There are so many options. Then I'm coming for you." I heard him hang up and finally yank open the door to the closet. He grabbed hold of my arm and pulled me close to him. "Show yourselves or Vivian gets it first! I'd hate to see how Klaus reacts to that."

He gave me a good snarl and I saw his eyes darken. Jeremy shot him from down the hallway and it loosened his grip. I took the chance to run to the kitchen and try to find something that would be useful. After ripping open drawers and cabinets, I realized I was out of luck in the stake department. I heard Jeremy and Elena yelling upstairs and then after a few seconds, I heard nothing but groaning. I grabbed a knife, just in case.

"Jeremy!" I screamed. "Jeremy!" Kol was dragging him down the stairs, ready to chop off his arm. "Kol, please!" I begged, running up to him. "Please! He's my brother." I looked down at Jeremy, ready to do anything for him.

"Your friends killed my brother," Kol responded, grabbing my hand and making me drop the knife I'd been holding. He let go of Jeremy, who was obviously hurt, and put his hands to my face almost tenderly. I twisted Jeremy's ring on my finger and hoped that Elena was okay.

"Kol, don't!" Jeremy yelled.

"She'll be fine in few hours, won't she?" Kol looked down at me, like he was going to compel me to do whatever he wanted. "Vivian, this isn't really about you. No hard feelings." Then his grip tightened and he snapped my neck.


	26. Chapter 26

**Wow, I am so incredibly sorry that I haven't updated in so long. I've basically been deliberating about the baby and what to do there but I've finally made a decision and I hope it's one that you all will agree with. That said, here is the new chapter. I hope you enjoy it! This was a really hard one to write because it deals with one of the saddest moments of the show for me. Tell me what you think! I own nothing but Vivian.**

I gasped and took in a huge breath of air. Coughing began to take over and I turned onto my side. I was on the living room floor, my dark curly hair splayed out around me. Wow, no one had the decency to at least lay me on the couch? Then the memories began flooding back.

"Jeremy!" I screamed. "Jeremy, are you okay?" I began pushing myself up off the floor.

"He's not here, love." I paused before standing. Am I hallucinating? Is the ring turning me into Alaric? I turned around and realized that I was unfortunately not hallucinating. Klaus was in my living room.

"What are you doing here?" My head was pounding. "Where is everyone?"

"Oh, they're off looking for the cure. They just decided that we aren't worthy enough to join them." I still didn't feel like I was keeping up with what he was saying. Wasn't getting the cure almost entirely Klaus's idea?

"How could they be looking for the cure? Jeremy hasn't-" My eyes grew wide. "No, no, no. Please don't tell me he got Kol." Klaus's face only got darker and I had my answer.

I stepped down into the living room amidst Klaus's protests and took him in my arms. I still had no idea why Jeremy had invited him in but it didn't seem to matter. I couldn't even imagine what Klaus was going through. On the legs of losing Finn, as well as his murderous mother and father, Kol was a huge blow that Klaus may never fully recover from.

"Vivian, you shouldn't have-" Klaus began but I cut him off.

"Have you told Rebekah and Elijah yet?"

"Oh, Elijah knows, I'm sure. He's still got some eyes in town whether he's here or not. As for Rebekah, she knows full well and yet is still pursuing the cure with Stefan."

"What?" I asked. "I thought Rebekah and Kol were close."

"Once they were, since they both seem to have a penchant for being annoyingly cruel, but Kol overstepped his boundaries the other night when he threatened Rebekah with the white oak stake." I knew deep down that I didn't like Kol for a good reason. "He was hellbent on making sure that no one got the cure."

"Wait a minute. I'm sorry because I know that you must be grieving and all but why are you here? Elena would never have let me or Jeremy invite you in. Besides, I thought you were leading the charge for the cure." Klaus backed away from me slowly before giving me an absolutely pitiful look.

"I know that we have had our differences, Vivian, and that you don't wish to think of your friends in a bad light but I will tell you the truth. Jeremy invited me in after I watched him murder my brother all for Bonnie to enact a spell that keeps me bound in your living room until the full moon in three days. I cannot go out of it and now I fear that you may not be able to either." Oh, so that's why he was protesting me coming into the room. "They've left me here because they want to find the cure and use it on me to finally kill me once and for all."

"I wish I could say that doesn't sound plausible but that plan has Damon and Elena written all over it." This was bad. In fact, this was much worse than anything I would've expected.

"I'm hoping the spell has passed you over since you're human."

"Well, if it doesn't, I'm sure that was always part of their plan. I'm a thorn in Elena's side now because I didn't want her to make Jeremy kill Kol." Klaus looked at me as though I had said something revolutionary. "I warned Kol to get out of town before it was too late but I guess he really was scared of this Silas guy."

"Kol was always rather superstitious but I have to wonder whether he was actually onto something this time. I can't imagine he would've threatened Rebekah lightly." I didn't want to bring up the fact that Klaus regularly daggered each of his siblings when they threatened to ruin his plans or even just marginally disagreed with him. But he had an incredibly messed up family so I decided not to judge.

"I think he knew something about whatever they're dealing with that we don't."

I moved to the edge of the living room and extended my arm over the boundary. I couldn't hold back my sigh of utter relief. I looked back at Klaus who seemed simultaneously happy and disappointed that I could leave. I was not going to read anything into it. Right now was not the time to think about romantic feelings for anyone. It was the time to take out my anger on Elena and Damon.

"Well, since I can leave, I'll go get you whatever you want. If you need some blood bags or something, just let me know. But in the meantime, I am going to call Elena and cuss her out." Klaus only laughed in response.

I was disappointed when no one picked up their phone. I figured they were either out of range or they were simply ignoring me. Neither option would've been surprising under the circumstances. When Elena was mad at me, she was incredibly good at giving me the silent treatment. Damon was probably just scared that I would have Klaus on the line with me.

After a few hours of me getting increasingly frustrated and Klaus getting increasingly depressed, I heard the front door open. I was on red alert but when I saw it was Caroline and Tyler, I relaxed a little.

"What are you two doing here?" I asked.

"Well, we came to keep you company," said Caroline.

"And clean up the scorched, dead body of an Original," said Tyler.

"Well, thank you so much but I've got it covered," I replied. I saw Klaus trying to watch the showdown from the living room.

"With all due respect, Vivian, I think you need some friends right now," Caroline responded. I should've figured that Stefan would have put Caroline on damage control with me. While Damon could stand me being angry with him, Stefan and Elena couldn't.

"If you think for a minute that I don't know that you're here to gloat, you are sadly mistaken. I appreciate the concern, Caroline, really I do, but I think you need to leave."

"I don't think so," said Tyler.

"I'd listen to her," said Klaus. "This is her house after all."

"Well, we tried to be nice about it but we're actually here for another reason. Damon and Elena seem to think that if they're late, you will let Klaus escape."

"I didn't think Elena could insult me more but it seems like she has," I responded. "Do you think I don't know what Klaus has done to everyone in this room? I won't let him leave." My fake show of bravado wasn't fooling either of them because I saw Caroline roll her eyes and Tyler raise his eyebrows. "Fine. Just stay out of my way and don't talk down to Klaus. His brother is dead so I think he deserves some space."

"He killed your aunt and my mother. Did he give either of us space?"

"Two wrongs don't make a right, Tyler. He's not long for this world anyway. His brother was killed. I think we're all on equal footing now."

"Well, I'm gonna revel in every minute of his suffering, Vivian, because he deserves this. No amount of expensive gifts or puppy dog eyes will make me feel sorry for him."

I narrowed my eyes at Caroline. "I have a really big mouth. I'm sorry," she said. I just groaned and nodded at her.

"I guess I don't have to tell you to steer clear of the living room," I told them before stepping down into it. I could just see them now; Tyler dead on the floor or Caroline bitten with no hope of receiving the good will she'd gotten the last time.

"You're not gonna help us? Come on, Viv," said Caroline. The look on her face told me that she thought I was changing and she didn't like it.

"You made your bed," I replied, trying my best to sound cold. "Now sleep in it." Klaus moved beside me with something of a smirk on his face. Caroline only appeared to be disappointed in me.

I sat on the couch and watched Tyler and Caroline move Kol's body. I tried to feel distant from it but that was hard to do with Klaus leaning as close to the kitchen as he could get with a despairing expression on his face. I felt all of my resolve to be angry at the world leave me.

"Klaus," I said, "don't look." It seemed like he didn't hear me.

Before Tyler sealed Kol's body up in a tarp, I watched Caroline slowly remove Kol's daylight ring and set it on my kitchen counter. It was a small gesture, and I would bet Klaus didn't notice it, but it made me feel guilty for shutting Caroline down when all she wanted to do was help. Tyler was angry, I understood that, but Caroline was here on good faith, to clear the air between me and Elena and the Salvatores. I wanted my mean resolve to come back. I wanted them to leave so I could go back to reveling in my fury at my twin sister. But life has never been and will never be that easy for me.

When the two of them took Kol's corpse out of the house, I followed them.

"Why aren't ya'll looking for the cure?" I asked. Tyler gave me a shrug while struggling with the body bag.

"Too many cooks in the kitchen," Caroline replied. "And that Shane guy really creeps me out." I can't recall ever having met Shane, a supposedly hot occult professor from Whitmore, but I had no doubt he was creepy.

"Is he the guy saying he can resurrect people with Silas?"

"You don't really buy all that Silas stuff, do you, Vivian?" asked Tyler.

"I don't know. Kol believed in it enough to want to cut off Jeremy's arm. Hasn't enough happened that we know not to count out even the craziest theories?"

"Kol was nuts and like you said, he wanted to cut Jeremy's arms off."

"Have you heard from him? No one has answered my calls all day." Tyler and Caroline exchanged a look. Caroline wanted to say something but was clearly struggling for the right words.

"Look," said Tyler, "the fact of the matter is, after all this with Kol, we don't know whether we can trust you anymore. Rebekah's up there with them but you've always been closer with Klaus anyway." I can't say it surprised me but I also can't say it didn't sting. Everyone else I understood but Jeremy didn't trust me? Jeremy had always accepted me. He might have been the only one but he had accepted me. He had understood why I felt the way I did about the Originals. He'd never judged me for it. "He killed my mother, Vivian, and you're worried about hurting his feelings. He used you to make hybrids that he ended up murdering later when they showed dissent and yet, you'd still tap a vein for him. You've betrayed your own family for his. It's nothing personal… but you've switched sides and it's our fault for not thinking you'd go through with it. We saw it coming from a mile away."

I opened my mouth to say something when I realized I couldn't deny it. "I'm sorry," was all I said.

"You've made your bed," he told me mockingly. "Now sleep in it."

Caroline briefly touched me on the arm and told me to call her if I needed anything then the two of them left me standing on my porch. They'd be coming back, I knew, but I went inside my house and locked the door. I closed my eyes and took a long, deep breath. Klaus, for his part, didn't say anything to me, even though I knew he'd heard the entire conversation.

I walked down the hall into the kitchen and found myself looking at Kol's daylight ring. Now I wasn't sure whether Caroline had removed it for me or for Klaus. I picked it up, looking at its small lapis lazuli stone. For a brief moment, I imagined putting it on and looking at it on my finger. Instead, I headed into the living room and pressed it into Klaus's hand. He looked downward, again lost in some sort of desperation. It was an emotion that I was positive he rarely showed. Maybe it meant he was comfortable with me.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked. He shook his head before stuffing Kol's ring in his pocket. "Are we friends?" I said before thinking about the consequences. Klaus nodded in response. I sunk down onto the sofa and Klaus did too, sitting closer to me than a "friend" would. "Then do you think I'm making the right decision?" I questioned.

"In regards to what?" I twisted Jeremy's ring on my finger and took a deep breath.

"You… and your family. Should I trust you? Should I be defending you?"

"Probably not," he replied and I laughed a little. "But that doesn't mean I think you should trust Elena and her group of friends either."

"Then I'm in a pretty sticky situation, aren't I? Because I've already chosen you and Elijah and Rebekah." Klaus looked at me genuinely.

"I don't think you've made the wrong decision," he responded and I realized that I didn't think I had either. Say what you will about the Originals, they've been brutal and mean to everyone but me. They've never outright lied. All they've done recently is reinforce the idea that I've been on the wrong side this entire time. The doubt was always there but now I was positive.

We talked a little more as the night wore on and eventually, we both went to sleep. Day One of Klaus being confined to my living room was over. The next day promised to be just as unassuming until Caroline gave me a call. I answered it in the kitchen while I was trying to slap together a sandwich.

"Vivian, Tyler and I were wondering how well you know Aramaic?" she said. I sort of sighed.

"Not very well, I'm afraid," I responded. I'd actually only come across something written in Aramaic (not just translated), once before. It was a rare thing to stumble upon anything like that in Mystic Falls, even when reading for pleasure or researching. "I'm far better with Latin. What are you doing with something written in Aramaic?" Klaus glanced over at me, curiosity peaked.

"Well… we're at Klaus's to find the sword to read Jeremy's tattoo. The inscription on the handle, which is a cryptex by the way, is all in Aramaic. Thank you, Google." I briefly considered hanging up on her because I could not believe that she had the gall to ask me for advice on something like this when she and Tyler had made it perfectly clear yesterday that they did not trust me. Why would I want to help the others find the cure?

"If you're still planning on coming over to babysit us, I'll take a look at it. I'm not gonna make you any promises though." That was enough for Caroline to breathe a sigh of relief. She openly thanked me, over and over.

"I can read Aramaic," Klaus said nonchalantly after I hung up.

"So you can translate what's on the sword and what's on Jeremy's tattoo?" I asked.

"Yes, I can. The question is, why would I want to?" I laughed.

"That is a pretty good question. I can't imagine that you would benefit from having the cure stuffed down your throat so that you could finally be killed."

"No," he replied, "but there's probably more to it than that."

After Caroline and Tyler came over, Klaus's assertion that there was more to it was proven correct. I helped them translate some symbols online before Klaus finally broke down and asked me to bring the sword over to him. I twirled the cryptex different ways and he translated each one of them. The last slide said that there was only one dose of the cure and Klaus was supremely happy about it.

They left, not quite sure of how to tell Elena and company. Tyler also made it clear that he was going to leave town to keep away from Klaus. It was most likely a brilliant idea on his part.

Once night fell, I was back in the kitchen to fix myself something else to eat. My cooking skills have always been abysmal and I usually only had luck when I made sandwiches so I was eating my second one that day. I turned toward the cabinets for something and when I turned back around, Klaus was in front of me, clearly not confined to the living room anymore.

"What's going on?" I questioned. "It hasn't been three days."

"Then I fear something has happened to Bonnie," he replied. Immediately, I felt sick. This was exactly the thing I was afraid of.

"Is she dead?" But that wasn't really the question I wanted to ask. Something else was severely wrong. I wanted to throw up.

"Perhaps not but she is close enough to it for her magic to break hold here." I leaned forward and gripped the counter for a moment.

"She would be with Jeremy, wouldn't she? They have to be together for the ritual. And Damon never trusted Shane. He hated him." Klaus shook his head before rounding the island to grab my hands.

"Don't jump to conclusions. He's fine, Vivian. Jeremy is one of the Five. He can take care of himself. All this means is that Bonnie might have taken a fall or doing the spell on Jeremy took too much out of her. They'll both be all right." I tightened my grip on his hands before letting them go. I knew that he was right. Jeremy had been through worse and recovered as had Bonnie.

"Well, would you stay with me until they come back?" I wasn't sure why I'd asked it. Maybe I was still concerned about him losing Kol, which we talked about. Maybe I already knew something was severely wrong with Jeremy. All I understood at the time was that I didn't want to be by myself and clearly, Klaus didn't want to be either. I have to admit that he was abnormally kind to me, insisting that I lay around and he do everything for me. I guess I should have realized something was wrong then. But no one called me or called him.

The next day, the front door finally opened and Elena walked in. She didn't even spare me a glance before heading upstairs. From outside, I heard Stefan say something that I couldn't make out. Klaus immediately took me by the arm and made me look at him.

"What are you doing?" I asked. "Let go of me."

"Vivian," was all Klaus said in response, his voice practically breaking in undisguised pity. I turned, even though I was still in his grip to see Stefan stride into the house, carrying something. It was a body.

"What is that?" I demanded.

"We have to get him upstairs, Vivian," Elena called. "He's wearing Ric's old ring, luckily."

"What the hell are you talking about? Is that Jeremy?!" I felt something crack inside my chest.

"Klaus," Stefan said and I felt Klaus try to make me look at him again but I shook him off.

"What's going on?!"

"Let me get him upstairs and I'll come down and explain everything to you," Stefan replied. Reluctantly, I nodded. Klaus still hadn't let go of my arm.

By the time Stefan had returned to talk to us, I think I went into shock. I barely comprehended what he was saying; that Katherine had followed them and ended up with the cure because she had fed my brother to Silas, that Silas was now out and about, that Jeremy was dead and had been dead much longer than the norm with the ring, that Jeremy was really and truly gone this time because the Five was a supernatural occurrence, and that Elena was in denial of that fact.

"She just keeps saying she's going to wait for him to wake up," Stefan said. "I think she might be in shock. I don't want us to alert her to it until she figures it out for herself."

"Is she crazy?" I said. "I'm not sparing her feelings."

"Vivian, I know this is a lot to take in-"

"Where's Damon?" I demanded.

"He's still on the island with Rebekah, trying to find Bonnie. He promised he'd be here as soon as he can." I nodded and flexed my fingers. I needed to do something or I was going to seriously lose it.

"Is this really happening?" I muttered, my hands starting to shake.

"Yes," said Klaus from beside me. I felt him brush a hand against my shoulder and then I knew it was all true. "Please sit down, Vivian. We're not going anywhere but I think you need to sit down."

"Don't tell me what to do," I said before turning to Stefan. My entire body began to feel like it was shaking. "You wake her up to this and you keep her away from me." I realized suddenly that I was crying.

"Vivian," Stefan responded with a shake of his head. I could tell he felt sorry for me. That was always the look on his face, that was always the look people gave me, especially after my parents' deaths. Poor Vivian. She's so sweet, she's so innocent, she's always second best, she doesn't deserve this. They're right. I don't deserve this. "You're grieving. You're hurt. You want to lash out and I understand why you want to pin this on Elena. But you're all she has left now. Do not let this turn you against each other." It already has.

"You're wrong, Stefan. The only person either of us had left was Jeremy. He was the only thing keeping us together. I warned her," I muttered. "I warned her what would happen but she didn't take me seriously because no one ever does."

"Don't let grief consume you, Vivian. You're better than that." This time I let Klaus take hold of my hand and lead me away from Stefan, who was calling Caroline and Matt.

Klaus looked down at me solemnly before asking, "Do you want to see his body?" I shook my head. "Do you want to be alone?" I contemplated it but I shook my head again. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No," I responded. "Can we just go to my room?" Klaus nodded at me without appearing to pity me, which I greatly appreciated.

The two of us laid on top of my bed for a long time without saying anything. I finally asked Klaus to talk to me about Kol, to remind me that someone else was going through something just as terrible as I was. But Klaus is a quiet, closed-off griever, more concerned with moving on than dwelling on the past. He also made it clear that Kol was a second-tier sibling to him, one that had missed out on joining the threesome team of Klaus, Rebekah, and Elijah. Kol hadn't been to him what Jeremy was to me. And I was not a quiet griever. I was an angry one.

Hours passed and night fell before Damon was finally back in town with Bonnie. Klaus had been good to me and so, so kind but Damon was my best friend and he was who I wanted.

I rushed outside and Bonnie hugged me before going in to talk to Elena, Caroline, and Matt. I let Damon sweep me into his arms and I felt myself start crying again.

"Wipe those tears, love," said Klaus. "Doesn't Bonnie have a plan?" Damon let me go, shaking his head.

"Shane has brainwashed her," he responded. "She's willing to commit another of the sacrifices to bring Jeremy and whoever else back but in the process, help Silas."

"What?" I said. "She can't kill more people for Jeremy. He wouldn't want that."

"I think she's past the point of help. Somebody needs to talk her down. I hope that Elena can see through it or at least, Caroline could say something."

"How does Silas intend on bringing people back from the dead?" asked Klaus.

"Supposedly, Bonnie can drop the veil between our world and the other side."

"But that would-" started Stefan.

"Bring back every supernatural creature? Oh yeah. It would."

"Something needs to be done about that," said Klaus. I heard the suspicion in his voice, even his fear. His thoughts were on Mikael and Esther and Finn and I suppose, now Kol. I could only see Jeremy. I wanted to have him back but at the expense of twelve innocent people? At the expense of having everyone who had ever tried to kill us back in the land of the living? Was it worth it for just him and Alaric? I couldn't say it was.

"Viv, I'm sorry I told you all this right now but you didn't need to get up that hope," Damon told me. I nodded. I understood. He also didn't complain about Klaus's presence and that gave me quite a bit of relief.

Suddenly, I was back to being numb. I wanted to go to bed. I wanted to sleep it off. I wanted to pretend that none of this was happening. I wanted to be in just as much denial as Elena was.

When the four of us entered the house, I realized Elena had finally broken past the denial. She came to me, placed her arms around my shoulders, and gave a crying heave. I wish I could say I was a good enough person to hug her back, that I walked with her upstairs and showed her Jeremy, that I let her cry with me. But I didn't. My arms hung slack to my sides and Elena let me go, walking to see his body herself. Damon gave me a look like he couldn't quite believe I had been so mean before following her upstairs.

All I felt was numb.

Bonnie and Matt left, still in the throes of some argument about dropping the veil. I stood with Klaus waiting for something else to happen, though I wasn't sure what. Elena came down, tears on her face, with Damon trailing her. Jeremy was in his arms.

I moved slowly, as though I was in a trance, as I saw Damon lay my baby brother's body on the couch. I felt like I couldn't breathe. Looking at him, I could remember everything we'd ever done together. Most glaringly, I remembered running out of the house and pushing him out of the way of a moving car. I let my shaking hand brush against the hair on his forehead and took a heaving breath. I hadn't wanted to see him. I shouldn't have.

"I guess we're gonna do this the old-fashioned way," said Elena.

"What are you talking about?" asked Caroline. I turned away from Jeremy to see Elena start rummaging through our cabinets and finally pulling out some kerosene.

"We need a cover story. What are we gonna say this time? An animal attack? No. We're going to burn the house down with him inside." She poured it everywhere, all over the floors, through the living room, onto her journals.

"That's my call to make," I said. Elena stopped, staring at me like she couldn't believe I'd go against her. "The house is mine."

"Well, I don't wanna live here anymore and I can't understand why you would want to. Think of all the people that we've loved and we've lost who lived in this house, Vivian. What do you see every time you turn around? Alaric? Jenna? Our parents? Jeremy?" I flinched and felt Klaus at my side. I was glad of it.

"You don't want to do this, Elena," said Stefan.

"Why not?" she screeched. "I don't want his things. I don't want his sketches or his clothes or Xbox!" I watched in horror as she pulled out bourbon, saying, "Alaric's not here to drink it!" and poured it on top of Jeremy's body.

"Elena, please," I begged. "You're scaring me."

"What are we going to do with the body, Vivian?! What is left for us here?"

"I don't know," I whispered. "Please. I don't know."

"All this house is is memories of people that we loved that have died. Let me burn it, Vivian." I felt myself start shaking again. Klaus looked vaguely horrified at her.

"Elena, I'm gonna need you to calm down," Damon said. "Vivian can't do this on her own." She shook her head.

"I need to do this. It hurts," she muttered. "I really need to do this. I can't look at this stuff of his. I can't be reminded of him." Something in me snapped.

"Then maybe you should've listened to me, Elena!" I said. "Jeremy is dead because you were so damn selfish that you wanted that cure more than his safety. I'm not letting you wallow in this pity party anymore. It's your fault!"

"Vivian!" Caroline, Damon, and Stefan said all at once. Elena sunk to the floor, clutching a box of matches. I scarcely heard her say, "She's right."

Klaus turned my face toward him ever so gently. "Don't say something you're going to regret," he whispered to me. "She's your only family."

"Are you telling me to be kind to her?" I responded, barely masking my rage. "You're the one who told me, 'I understand you feel slighted, I understand what it's like to be treated as second best.' You don't know how much I am done with people babying her." And never giving me a second glance.

"You can't possibly think that we're babying her," said Caroline.

"Oh yes, I can. It's all any of you ever do. Elena is apparently the only abnormal vampire who can't adjust and hates herself. Let's find her a cure. She deserves it so much more than other vampires, like Rebekah, who have been cursed for a thousand years. She's in denial that she's the one who caused her brother's death. Let's let her go about pretending he's going to wake up."

"She didn't cause Jeremy's death, Vivian. Katherine did," said Damon.

"Don't patronize me, Damon. You know as well as I do that it's her fault because she wouldn't listen to me about Kol. And it's just righteous that you're always Elena's great defender. You call me your best friend, you tell me you love me, but when I am near death on the floor of the Lockwood mansion with someone who had threatened to kill us all, you leave me there to be kidnapped or bleed out."

"Vivian, please. I care about you so much," said Damon, "and just because I've been in love with Elena doesn't mean that I don't also care about you. You're one of maybe three people who I can say I honestly would die for. I know you're hurting. I know you're scared. Now I want to help you both. Why don't you let me try and help you?" I felt tears on my face and I couldn't even make myself wipe them away.

"Well, what's your idea of trying?" I saw Damon drop to his knees by Elena, who was crying hysterically. I wanted to too. I wanted to throw things. I wanted to light the matches in her hand.

"Elena, I can make this pain stop. You've gotta turn it off."

"What?!" Stefan, Klaus, and I exclaimed. Damon held out a hand to make us be quiet. I felt the anger in me boil over.

"You're kidding!" I said. "What were you gonna do to me? Compel me to forget all of the horrid stuff we've been through like you did to Jeremy?" I could tell by the expression on his face that I had uncovered his plan. "That's not fair. You can't just take away her agency and make her into a monster because you can't stand to see her in pain. And I'm not going to let you take away my free will so that I don't experience and mourn my brother's death the way a normal person would."

"I don't want you to be hurt, Vivian," Damon responded, putting on his best puppy-dog face. "I just want you to be okay."

"Well, I'm not okay and I'm not going to be okay until I deal with this normally. Let me grieve, Damon. Let me cry. And just leave me alone. Humans don't have the option to turn it off and even if we did, I would never do it. It's disrespectful to Jeremy to pretend that this didn't happen or that this didn't mean anything."

"Nobody's trying to pretend it didn't happen," said Stefan. I shook my head.

"It's okay," I told Damon. "Do what you think is best. But don't compel me."

He turned back to Elena, who had been beholding my fury with remarkable poise. He made her look him in the eyes. "Turn it off," he whispered. "It's what I want you to do." He was invoking the sire bond… and Elena's expression automatically changed.

Damon and Stefan had an argument about whether telling Elena to turn it off had been the right thing to do. I barely heard it. I let Klaus take me into his arms and for a moment, I felt a blissful silence. I wanted to cry but I just wasn't ready yet.

Elena tapped me once, her entire demeanor changed, and said, "Burning the house is still the best cover story. You know it."

"Where will we go?" I muttered. Klaus linked his fingers through mine.

"You can come with me," he said.

"Vivian, you don't have to do this," said Stefan.

"And you're more than welcome to come home with us," said Damon. I shook my head.

"I think I'm going to go where I belong," I stated before turning to Elena. "Just let me get some things together then you can light it up."

"You know where you belong, Viv, and it's with us," Damon pleaded. "Don't do this to us and don't do this to yourself."

"She's made her decision, mate," said Klaus.

"I can't do it… with her… anymore," I told them. Damon was going to say something but Stefan put a hand against his chest and shook his head.

Klaus followed me into my room and quickly helped me pack things up. I ran my fingers along my bedspread and my dresser, eyes finding the acceptance letter to Tulane I'd received so long ago. Without thinking, I picked it up and put it my bag. I'd been doubting whether I'd respond to it. Why would I want to leave my friends and family behind? But now it seemed like the only option I had, the next step I should take.

Klaus made me go into Jeremy's to have a last look around, saying I'd regret it if I didn't. I believed him. I took some of Jeremy's clothes and a few of his drawings too. Then I followed Klaus downstairs. Damon put a lit match in my hand. Elena dropped one on the living room floor. I let mine hit the couch Jeremy was laying on after briefly touching his hair again.

I walked out of the door, sobbing, and didn't spare a backward glance.

**I hope you all liked Vivian finally breaking down about Elena. I'm looking at this chapter as a breaking point for Vivian, where she has finally and officially chosen her side in all of this. So do you like it? Into her moving in with Klaus? Because I am ;). And RIP Kol and Jeremy. At least we got Jeremy back. I hope we get Kol back in The Originals next year.**


	27. Chapter 27

**So as I told you, I've decided what I'm going to do about the baby and you are going to see what choice I made in this chapter. Hope you enjoy it! As usual I own nothing but Vivian.**

Klaus was good at keeping his distance during my grieving period and even better at sensing when I just wanted to be by myself. My first full week in the Originals' household had me talking to Klaus only a handful of times, all of which were at the dinner table. Better than just being good at leaving me alone, Klaus was excellent at forcing me to come to terms with Jeremy's death without being overbearing. He made sure I ate something, he asked me whether I wanted to talk about it at all, but he didn't pressure me. I found that it really made me appreciate him and I felt like he was truly being my friend.

The first night he led me into one of the five bedrooms (one constructed for each sibling) and just let me be, saying, "Make yourself at home." It was only after he shut the door behind him that I realized I was in Elijah's room, revealed by a large book written in his handwriting open on a desk. I thought maybe he'd give me Finn or Kol's, the two brothers who had been here the least, but here I was.

I hadn't seen much of the Originals' house at this point but I knew the room I was in was different than the others. It was dimly lit, filled with antique furniture, and just overall welcoming. It wasn't as feminine as my style but it was similar. That first night, I didn't do much other than collapse onto the bed and fall asleep, exhausted by crying. But over the following week, I acquainted myself with the ins and outs of it.

The bed was harder than my old one but it smelled good. The closet was small but filled with exactly the clothes I would've expected; crisp suits. The book open on the writing desk was one of many just like it on the bookshelf; a journal detailing different periods of his life. I took a look at the pages that were open before closing it and putting it on the shelf with the others. I didn't see much more beyond the fact that there was a woman, named Celeste, a bathtub, and no clothes. I snapped it shut so fast that I think the walls rattled.

After only a few days, I made myself go back to school. It was a better alternative than sitting around moping all day, with Klaus wandering by and looking at me as though I was equally pitiful and beautiful. It was a strange look but it was never one I was totally averse to. When you took away the part that was feeling sorry for me, it was just plain admiration.

School was tough, half because of Jeremy, half because I felt like I had to keep avoiding Elena. Damon annoyed me constantly, randomly calling me and texting me.

_DS: Are you okay?_

_DS: Um, Elena has lost it. I am really SORRY. _

_DS: COME ON, VIV!_

_DS: She's feeding on random cheerleaders! She dropped Caroline on purpose! I need you back, bff!_

I couldn't bring myself to respond to any of them. It took Damon showing up before Klaus and I ate dinner one night for me to finally face him. Klaus made some delicious food for someone who didn't rely on it for sustenance. I can't remember a time that I've eaten better. He made some sort of pasta that night and I was really excited about it, finally feeling up to eating a full meal for the first time since Jeremy's death. I hovered over Klaus in the kitchen like a hawk, eagerly trying to figure out how he was such a good cook and I wasn't. When the doorbell rang, I thought nothing of it. I stayed watching over the food while Klaus went to answer it.

"Come on in, mate," I heard Klaus say. I froze, hand against the counter. "Vivian, it's for you."

Instead of clamming up and shaking my head, begging to be spared the interaction with Damon that was imminent, I came out and greeted him. It was hard to see Damon at first when all I could remember was my house going up in flames but I sucked it up. He didn't move to hug me or do any of his usual spiel (doing that thing with his eyes like he thought he was being intense, crack a terrible joke, or yell).

"I'll give you two some privacy," said Klaus, giving me a nod before slinking back into the kitchen. Damon and I both knew he'd do no such thing but when had Damon ever cared? In fact, I think he got off on saying offensive things where other people could hear him.

"I got this out of your old mailbox and I'm not even gonna question why mail is still getting delivered to a house that burned down but that's Mystic Falls for ya! So when were you going to tell me about this?" demanded Damon, waving a letter in front of my face. I yanked it out of his hand and looked at it, seeing the stamp of Tulane in upper left-hand corner. They'd already responded to the offer I sent in last week.

"Well, I planned on moving to New Orleans and shooting you an email," I replied, ripping the letter open. Damon groaned and put his hand to his forehead.

"Are you serious?! New Orleans is like a thousand miles away!"

"I know. That's why it sounds so wonderful." The letter wanted me to come as soon as graduation was over for an early summer class in American History. Honestly, I had never heard of such a thing but I knew it was prestigious and that the university was incredibly serious about having me. I barely read it before Damon jerked it out of my hand. "And no, I'm not serious. I would've called."

"Damn it, Vivian! You got accepted on scholarship to Tulane and they want you for an early class! That's massive! Why didn't you tell me when you first got the offer?"

"Don't pretend you would've paid it any mind. You would've said, 'Oh cool, Viv, I know you won't take it,' and then moved on to what Elena's problem was for the week."

"That is not true. I'm excited for you!" he said thru gritted teeth. I crossed my arms and made a face. "Okay… maybe I don't want you to go but that doesn't mean I don't think it's awesome! You're a genius! But why would you want to go so far away?"

"As opposed to going to Whitmore in the town over? I'm sick of this place, Damon, and now that Jeremy's gone, I feel like I can finally do something that I want to do and that is purely for me. I'm done worrying about Elena and everybody else here. That's your problem now."

"You're just gonna go down to the French Quarter with your Gilbert ring and act like none of this happened? I've got news for you, Viv. You can't outrun your past and you sure as hell can't outrun your family." Elena, of course. Everything comes back to Elena. "I get that you're mad at me and you have every right to be. I'm insensitive. I'm harsh. I'm mean. But everything I have done has been for your overall safety and your overall happiness. If you hate me, I can live with that but I can't live with you running away from your problems."

"It isn't running away. It is me trying to figure out my life and getting away from Mystic Falls is the first step in doing that." Damon made a face. "Don't act like you haven't done exactly what I'm trying to do. When you and Stefan turned, he became somebody you didn't like for a while and so you got away from him for a few years. He had it turned off, just like Elena."

"You may not have noticed this, Viv, but Stefan and I are living in Mystic Falls, relationship on the mend."

"A century and a half in the making."

"You're set on this, aren't you?"

"Why can't you be happy for me? Why can't you be proud that I'm finally taking my life into my own hands? Isn't that what you always wanted?"

"I am happy for you, Vivian, and I'm proud too… and I guess if this is what you really want, we'll have to support you. But if you think you're going to a city that isn't as dramatic as this place, you are totally wrong. New Orleans has a massive supernatural community and it's one that will eat you alive. Besides, think of your hair! It's so hot and humid there! Your hair will do that curly thing you hate all the time and you'll be miserable." I cracked a smile at that.

"Well, first of all, the Originals built New Orleans and they supposedly still have connections there, which would make it not quite so dangerous. But you're totally right about the hair. I've got no solution to that problem." He grinned at me.

"So you forgive me, right? You can't go off to some horrible-"

"Gorgeous."

"Sticky-"

"Historic."

"-city without making up with me?"

"Yes! I forgive you. We're back to bffs."

"Finally! Great. Well, I actually came here for another reason. I'm going to New York tomorrow with Elena and Rebekah and-"

"Count me out. Do you honestly think I want to spend days of my life with Elena when she's like this?"

"To be frank, _I _don't want to spend days of my life with her like this. But it's all about fun and embracing being a vampire. I figure the closer I get her to feeling something at all, the sooner it will be that she'll turn it back on. On some level, I think you'd trigger her."

"See, I don't think that at all. I think she has to accept Jeremy. He was her anchor, not me." Damon considered that before nodding.

"Well, I'll try whatever I can. You can't leave town on bad terms with her."

"I really, really appreciate that," I said and meant it. Damon was good to me; better than he was to other people and better than other people treated me.

"I just want you and Stefan to be on the lookout here. I need you on my side."

"Sure thing. Be careful." Damon hugged me really fast and pulled away, hands against my face.

"I really am sorry for everything and I am so, so proud of you. Tulane! Wow, that's amazing! Good for you. Don't ever doubt that I care about what you're going through, Viv. Like I said, you're my Lexi."

"Yeah, yeah," I responded with a smile. "You're making me sick." He laughed and let me go, glad to be let off his sentimental tirade. "Hey, Damon, don't ever let someone tell you that you aren't a great friend, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," he said. "You're making me sick."

After he left, I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Not being on good terms with Damon always seemed to hurt me. Knowing that I had him back was a huge relief and it improved my mood. Since Jeremy, I had been solemn, angry, and mopey but when I spent some time with Klaus that went away temporarily. Now that I'd made up with Damon, it had permanently improved.

"I knew that would make you feel better," said Klaus, walking into the foyer.

"It really did," I responded.

"Should I be worried?" he asked, a smirk on his face.

"About what?" I questioned.

"Well, I always thought you were the twin he favored." I laughed. "I'm quite serious."

"Oh, never. Never! We would kill each other!"

Klaus grinned at me and then, we sat down to dinner. It was always an ordeal and made me feel like I was underdressed. At first, I thought he made eating with him such a massive occasion to distract me from the real problems at hand but now I know it's just how he functions. Klaus and Elijah have several things in common and their love of opulent finery was one of them.

"How are you feeling about wine?" asked Klaus. "I seem to have found this excellent bottle just begging to be opened." I laughed as I went into the dining room and sat down.

"You really are spoiling me… but I'll say yes."

I've never been a big drinker. I'm not a fan of losing control and yes, I'm aware that drinking doesn't always lead to being drunk, but it was a risk I was not willing to take. But that evening, as I watched Klaus open an elaborate bottle, capped with gold, I'd never wanted to have something so bad. I even asked for a second glass. It was strong but so, so sweet. The more I sipped it, the more attractive Klaus became. At first he was just handsome but he slowly became so much more than that.

"You'll love it in New Orleans," Klaus told me, all charm. "Perhaps I'll have to show you around down there."

"I'll probably need all the help I can get so I would majorly appreciate it." I drank a little more of the wine, which was clearly loosening me up.

"I doubt that. You'll fit in there." I still thought getting the scholarship at all was completely out of the blue but the more I thought about it, the more I knew I was making the right decision. It can't be in the cards for me to never leave Mystic Falls in my entire life. Surely, I'm going to travel and see more than Virginia. This was the best way to start that and weirdly enough, Klaus seemed to agree. I don't know why I expected him to oppose it but his support had been the best part of sending in my acceptance letter. I wondered whether he would stick around much longer after I moved there. Say what you will about how flaky Elijah is but I understand there's nothing holding him here… which makes me wonder why Klaus has when everyone he meets wants to kill him.

As the dinner wore on, the more I drank. It wasn't a bad feeling or even a clumsy, drunken feeling. It was happy… and strangely amorous. As I stared across the table at Klaus, I thought about the time he kissed me. He hadn't thought it out, it wasn't a perfect moment, and that was what had made me ponder it over and over. I would never have guessed that Klaus would be forward with his feelings about anyone, particularly a girl like me. He just seemed so closed-off and as though he would be terrified of something not working out. He's a strange person, at equal turns emotional and walled off. Maybe he knew I was scared and would never act on it. Maybe he just liked the thought of the chase. Maybe it was even what Kol said; that I am so different from him and would be so easily corruptible. Whatever the case, I'd yet to figure it out but as I sipped more of the wine, I decided that I didn't want to. Why would I want to question something like this, no matter the circumstances? Against all odds, I enjoy Klaus and I've found that he can be thoughtful and friendly when he wants to be, without expecting anything in return.

Sitting at the table, fingers curled around the stem of my glass, I understood that I wanted him. I don't know whether the wine had fogged my mind and made me think about things I wouldn't normally or whether I was finally and completely losing it. On some level, I knew I wasn't drunk, at least not in the way that other people talked about. I just knew that I wanted him. I wanted to hear all those strangely romantic things that he would sometimes say. I wanted to hold his hand. I wanted to kiss his feminine mouth and his neck and his chest. I'd never considered something like this before, not even in my dreams. I wanted to _touch_ him.

As I watched Klaus poured his last glass of the wine, I said, "You know, I've been here a week and I've yet to see you paint something."

"Well, it's a pretty personal… but maybe I can arrange it sometime." Klaus smirked at me, pouring more of the addictive wine in my glass while holding my gaze. I felt my heartbeat skip and his smile only deepened. I dropped my eyes and told myself to take a deep breath. Focus. Calm down. Then his hand slipped and touched mine. I felt myself let out a breath while he sucked one in. My pulse quickened and Klaus moved away quickly. Immediately, I touched my cheeks. They were warm, flushed in a glow that wasn't the result of alcohol.

Subconsciously, I reached for my glass and drank some more. By the time dinner was over, we'd drained the whole bottle.

After we finished eating, I excused myself, saying I was exhausted and I was relieved when he said the same thing. I had to fight these strange feelings. This was not me. I am the definition of clean-cut, goody two-shoes, boring, naïve. I am not obsessively thinking about kissing someone who could kill me.

Oh, yes, I am. I am. Yes. I am.

I assume I went to sleep. I'm not all that sure. That wine was like nothing I've ever had before. I was tipsy, drunk, unerringly happy, but I knew my limits. I fell into Elijah's bed, thinking about how delicious it was and how strangely ardent it made me feel. At least, I think I fell in bed.

The next thing I knew, I was standing in a room in the house that I'd yet to see. It was filled with paintings of Klaus's and I saw him standing there, back to me, brush in hand. Both of us still had on what we were wearing at dinner; a Henley and jeans, a pale pink cardigan half-buttoned over white eyelet dress. The edges of my vision blurred. The whole scene seemed fuzzy, like I couldn't quite place where I was or how I got there. It was a dream, an extremely vivid dream.

"What are you doing?" I asked, my voice sounding unusually pretty and crisp.

"You wanted to see me paint, didn't you?" Klaus responded, finally turning towards me. I opened my lips a little, like I couldn't keep breathing normally.

"Yes, I do," I said. I saw dark paint on his hands as he grinned and turned towards a canvas in front of him. I looked over his shoulder, desperate to see how he did it. "Does painting help you control your rage?"

"It helps me control every emotion." I still the felt the way I had at dinner; enamored, infatuated, amorous. Even with the whole scene rather hazy, I knew what I wanted and since it was a dream, I felt more than entitled to it.

"What other ones do you need to control?"

"Oh, the usual. Envy, hunger for power, wanting to rip people's hearts out." I laughed and Klaus turned towards me, more alluring than anyone I've ever seen. I had to hold myself back from reaching for him. "Desire."

"Desire?" I questioned it with a smile. "For me." I said it without nervousness. "Why?" I asked it with confidence.

"I'm sure you know what I'm talking about." He seemed to slap a line of paint across the canvas before cutting his eyes over at me.

"Yes, I know what you're talking about." I knew it right at that moment.

"I don't see why you can't put me out of my misery," Klaus said with a kick of humor to his voice. His fingers twirled a paintbrush. I'd never noticed how nice his hands are.

Knowing it was a dream, I said something totally uncharacteristic, "Maybe I don't want you to be." His fingers left the paintbrush. I think my nerves were palpable.

"And why is that?" Was this not happening to him too? Isn't he going crazy? This is my dream. I shouldn't have to ask.

"Don't you know?" He gave me a knowing look that made him appear shy, almost like he was blushing. I made myself take a deep breath.

"I'm not sure I want to paint anymore," Klaus whispered, shoulders slumping in his Henley shirt.

"Then what would you like to do?" Kiss me. Please kiss me.

"Why don't we try something?" A completely characteristic grin spread across his face while I felt myself start sweating (which I didn't know you could feel in a dream).

"Like what?" My face flushed, my hands felt clammy, and I absentmindedly lifted my hair off the back of my neck. Somehow, I was striking the right balance between nervous and excited. Somewhere in my mind I knew what was coming and I was ready for it.

"Can I kiss you?" It was said so bashfully, so full of unadulterated wanting, that I nodded.

"I'd like you to do whatever you want." And I meant it so completely. My heart pounded.

Klaus reached over, taking my face in his hands. I felt black paint smear across my cheek. Looking up at him, I saw a person that I wanted deep in my bones. He was so pretty, so strong, so emotional. He put his lips against mine and I felt my knees buckle.

I pressed my hands to his chest and I felt him suck in a breath. It was almost like he was human.

His hands moved to my neck and then my shoulders. His mouth brushed my jawline then the skin of my throat. I think I gasped. Even in a dream, my conscience thought this wasn't a good idea but I paid it no attention. This felt good and better than that, it felt right. Just as the thought to stop had come, it quickly left me.

I let my fingers run down to the bottom of his shirt and lift it. Klaus pulled away from me and I thought for a second he was going to decline me in my own dream but he just took his shirt off as though he'd read my mind. I let myself enjoy looking at his skin, which had to be better than any other man's on the planet. He had tattoos. I would never have guessed that. There had to be something psychological about this. Why would I envision tattoos? A bad boy fetish? Well, who really cares? I just wanted to touch him.

I made the move this time, standing taller to reach his mouth. I kept a hand against the back of his neck, keeping him close and I pressed my chest against his. Klaus's hands moved from gripping my waist to unbuttoning my pink sweater. To my own surprise, I let him. I felt his deft fingers brush it off my shoulders and I let it drop, back to running my hands over his skin.

He broke from my hold again. I had to admit, I was already sick of that. "Do you know what you're doing, Vivian?" he asked, an innocent expression across his face. He thought I was tricking him.

"Literally or figuratively?" I responded.

"Maybe both."

"Literally, no but figuratively... yes. I've never done this before but I'm willing to learn."

"Vivian," he whispered. He said my name like it was sacred. My hands clenched into fists. "I don't want to take advantage of you. I'm trying to do right by you." Oh yeah, this was definitely a dream. This not the Klaus I know. Right?

I felt myself slightly laugh. "You asked me to put you out of your misery. Please do that for me right now."

"Whatever do you mean by that?" This time he looked mischievous.

"This is eating me alive. I'm losing control. I want you. I can't think about anything else." My face felt hot and my breathing was ragged.

"Are you sure?" Klaus asked as though he'd been waiting for me to say that for ages.

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life." He smiled like I'd given him exactly what he wanted. Fear has gripped me but here I go.

The surroundings blurred and the next thing I was aware of was being in Klaus's room, with his hands against my thighs. His mouth covered mine and he unzipped my dress. No warning signs went off. Nothing told me to think twice. All I knew was I was going to be with Klaus and the thought was so wildly thrilling that I was grateful to my subconscious for thinking it up.

The whole dream was hazy, fuzzy, blurry, and I only got a few images. The bed. My dress crumpled on the ground. Snapping his belt open with a twist of my fingers. How he seemed to smile into every kiss I gave him. How he gasped as though he was amazed by me. Lips on my thighs and elsewhere. Touching his back with my mouth on his neck. My white lace bra on the other side of the room. Teeth dragging across my chest. Back arched. Fingers gripping hip bones. Our fingers linked. Our eyes shut.

Finally I remember dropping my arms to each side as Klaus kissed my neck, my collarbone, my ribcage.

"Let's keep this between us," I heard him murmur against my skin. I let out a sigh.

"Of course," I responded as I closed my eyes.

When I opened them, I was in Elijah's bed, wearing the same thing I'd worn last night because I'd apparently been so tired that I hadn't bothered to change. The dream faded from my memory. All I remembered of it was that Klaus and I had had sex in it. No details. Nothing.

"Wow, so that's what being drunk feels like," I groaned, letting my hand rest against my forehead.

When I got up, I saw a dark line of something like paint across one cheek. I wiped it off, thinking nothing of it.

**UM WHAT JUST HAPPENED? I'm not thinking that was just a dream…**


	28. Chapter 28

**Hey guys! I'm sorry for the long wait for an update! But first of all, if any of you have any doubts, the triangle is definitely not over. Second of all, ELIJAH IS BACK. Third, this is one of the last chapters with the Mystic Falls gang :(. I hope you all love this chapter as much as I do! Let me know what you think.**

Looking in the bathroom mirror was not a pleasant experience that morning. My hair was sticking up everywhere and I just overall looked sloppy. I decided that I needed a shower before I could get anything done today. That was hard to do with a pounding head and nauseous stomach. I took a break every couple of minutes to apply pressure to my temples. "I'm never drinking anything ever again," I muttered. "Never."

I got out of the shower and slowly got dressed in a skirt and lace cardigan. In the middle of it, I covered my mouth and tried not to throw up. This was the worst feeling I'd ever experienced. Vaguely, I heard my phone ring and I groaned, picking it up before walking out into the hall. "What is it?"

"Damn, did you just get up?" Damon asked. "It's like noon."

"It is?!" I exclaimed and then said, "Oh, it is," with a look at my watch.

"I'm getting the feeling you've finally gone wild, Viv!"

"Could you keep your voice down? My head is like… exploding." I pressed my fingers against the bridge of my nose and took a deep breath, trying not to get sick.

"Could it be?! Did you get drunk? Are you hungover?"

"Unfortunately so."

"I am so proud! Finally! Little Vivian Gilbert got drunk after years of saying it's disgusting."

"Um, it is disgusting. I feel horrible and I hate myself."

"Then you know you did it right." I rolled my eyes. "It had to have been good to get you as messed up as you are now. What was it? Tequila? Bourbon? You know, I always thought you'd end being a tequila girl-"

"Wine. Now if you don't mind, I am going to go drown myself in black coffee."

"First of all, that literally never works. Second of all, wine?! Are you serious? That is so boring. Leave it to you to finally break out of your shell by drinking Arbor Mist. I didn't even know people could get really drunk on wine."

"Uh, Arbor Mist is a wine _cooler _and yeah, you can get drunk on anything if you drink enough of it. And if I must say so, that was the best thing I have ever had in my entire life."

"What was it? In my experience, all wine is gross."

"I don't know. Klaus didn't even know where he got it."

"Oh, my God, you and Klaus got drunk together. What a fun pity party that must've been." I assumed he was referencing Kol and Jeremy, which was cold even for Damon.

"Actually, I didn't think about Jeremy once last night." I'd done a whole lot of pondering about things that I shouldn't though. But the more that I tried to focus on what I'd actually been thinking about last night, the more my head began to hurt and the memories began to blur. I figured the powers that be didn't want me to remember in detail wanting to move around the table and kiss Klaus. I trusted their decision.

"Hey, that's a really good thing. It means you're like me and being drunk helps you forget things."

"That's not like you at all."

"Yeah, true. Well, I was calling to talk to you about catching up with Caroline and Stefan today since you were supposed to go prom dress shopping with her but I guess that's off."

"You have got to be kidding. Was that today?"

"Yes and you probably should've taken advantage of it because I don't know the next time that Caroline will extend that olive branch." Caroline felt incredibly guilty about the way she had treated me in the days before Jeremy's death, even though Tyler had been the crux of the problem, not her. I suppose it was decent of her to offer to go prom dress shopping with me because I knew it was important to her, as every school function usually is. She'd wanted to go today to get a leg up on everybody else, making sure she was the first one to get a dress from the best boutique in town. Her worst fear was someone showing up wearing the same thing. And I had completely forgotten about her.

"What is the point of prom? Why did I even agree to do this?"

"Because prom is huge facet of the high school experience and you are not graduating without it. I mean, come on, Vivian. I know you adore wearing big princess dresses and looking pretty. Prom is your thing. Embrace it." This from the guy that patronized Stefan for going back to high school.

"But what is the point? Jeremy is dead. Bonnie is focused on this Silas mess. Elena is being a rude bitch with no brain-to-mouth filter. Matt's apparently failing most of his classes. And you think I care about going to senior prom?"

"You should care about prom because it is something normal for you to do. Look, just go do this thing with Caroline for good faith. We'll worry about everything else later."

"Fine. How's New York?"

"We're not there yet. I'm sitting at a truck stop while Rebekah and Elena devour innocent passers-by." I gagged, not entirely jokingly. "Yeah, it sucks. This was a bad idea. It's not gonna be a great trip."

"Well, good luck. I'm going to call Caroline and beg her forgiveness."

"Cool." I went to hang up when I heard Damon say something. "Hey, I know you're hungover but you sound weird. Is everything okay? Is it about Jeremy?"

"No," I replied. "I just had a weird dream."

I went downstairs and had to cover my eyes with my hands to stop the light coming in the windows from blinding me. "Yes, Caroline, I overslept. I am so sorry." She said something so loud that I had to hold the phone away from my ear. "Yes, I know. I feel terrible… literally. Can we reschedule?" She gave me an earful but begrudgingly gave in, telling me to meet her in a few minutes anyway. "I will make it up to you, I promise."

After hanging up the phone, I noticed Klaus looking at me. It seemed strange, even off, because he just looked so abnormally happy. The times I've seen Klaus genuinely content or even mildly cheerful have been few and far between, with most of those occurring when some terrible plan happened to go his way. This morning he looked utterly joyful.

"Are you all right?" I asked, narrowing my eyes because I still could not see through the sunlight. "Has something happened that we need to be overjoyed about?"

"Oh, not at all. I was just thinking about a dream I had last night," he responded.

"I had a weird one too. That wine really messed me up." Klaus nodded in agreement.

"I haven't been drunk like that in a long time. I wonder where I got that bottle. Who would've given that to me?" he said almost to himself.

"You need to write them a thank-you note combined with a you're-horrible note. It was really delicious at the time but I can't even see straight right now."

"It might be best for you to go back to sleep and wait for it to go away."

"What I wouldn't give but I've got to go prom dress shopping with Caroline so that she can make it up to me for being insensitive before… Jeremy and all that." Klaus looked like he was about to comment on it so I kept talking. The best way for me to move on and stop grieving Jeremy is to not talk about him right now. "Actually, I've been wondering. We were so worried about them getting the cure and using it on you and now it seems like that's over since Katherine has it. Shouldn't we be even more worried? If there's anyone on the planet that wants you dead more than Damon does, it's Katherine." Actually, for a very long time I have respected Katherine. She's malicious and self-serving but it was easy to understand that she had to be in order to survive. I know she killed Jeremy and I would never trust her but I did respect her and I couldn't blame her for wanting to live her own life out from under Klaus's thumb. Katherine's situation was at the forefront of my mind when Klaus started showing a fair bit of interest in me. All I could think about was that if I made the wrong choice or took a misstep that Klaus could very easily get rid of me and my family. If there's one thing I'm very aware of about Klaus, it's that he can hold a grudge.

"Well, I appreciate your concern but I think it's far more likely that Katherine took the cure for leverage than because she wishes me ill. She doesn't stand a chance against me. That's why she's run all this time."

"How do you know that she doesn't want to murder you? How come you've never just killed her? Why didn't you just let her go?" I'd always wondered that about Klaus. Mostly, I generally thought that he just enjoyed chasing her and putting the fear of God in her. It should make me fear him again, the way I used to, because he forced an innocent young girl (apparently, one just like me at that point) to take her life into her own hands or else, be killed in a sacrifice. When she did just that, he had her family massacred and herself hunted to the ends of the earth. All because Katherine had the audacity to defy him. But I can't say I'm scared of Klaus. Maybe wary of him is the better word.

"Katherine is very good at what she does best; running and taking care of herself."

"So you've just never caught up to her."

"That combined with the fact that Elijah was always sweet on her. For years and years he would not stop defending Katherine to me," Klaus lamented as though he had never been annoyed more. "He wanted me to stop hunting her because I supposedly forced her hand. It's quite pathetic really."

"What is?" I asked. I've never known entirely how I feel about the Elijah/Katherine relationship. As far as I knew, it had never been a real one. All I can say for sure is that he loved her.

"Just that my purportedly wise and intelligent older brother couldn't see that he was just another pawn in Katherine's scheme. She used him and his feelings for her to try to get her out of the sacrifice. I should admire Katherine, really. It's remarkable how she can have so many men worshipping at her feet at the same time, each of them thinking they're the only one. Elijah was one of a multitude of them then." Along with Trevor, the poor guy.

"You didn't feel sorry for him?" I did. It always seems to work out that Elijah is the one hurt in any given situation.

"I suppose I should've but as it turns out, his affection for her has oddly worked out in my favor over the years."

"How so?" Oddly, the main thing I took out of his last statement was that Elijah had continuing feelings for Katherine, that they hadn't ended when she took off in the fifteenth century.

"You asked me how I can be sure that she doesn't want me dead. As a matter of fact, I just heard from Elijah this morning. I've had him out looking for the cure since we first considered going after it. He's brokering a deal between me and Katherine. She wants to give me the cure on good faith. I get the cure to do with as I wish and she gets to stop running." Again, the only thing I took from what Klaus said was that Elijah had called him. I'd tried to call Elijah multiple times just to tell him that I was incredibly sorry about Kol. He never answered. Rebekah had talked to me when I called her, even though she seemed relieved that Kol is gone.

"Elijah's been looking for the cure this entire time?" He had never once mentioned it. I know our phone conversations had been brief but would it really have been so hard to say, 'I'm doing something for Klaus. I didn't really want to stay away from Mystic Falls'?

"Of course. When the idea of finding the cure first came up, I told him about it. He was all too happy to look for the cure since he didn't plan on coming back to Mystic Falls anytime soon anyway." I took a deep breath. I don't know why that really disappointed me, even hurt me. Whenever I spoke with Elijah, he wasn't exactly warm but he did still seem to consider me a friend. He'd been fine with me contacting him but when I think about it, it's been almost completely one-sided. I wonder what happened. Of course things were different after Elijah held Elena captive and almost killed her but I thought Elijah and I had something, even just a small understanding that we cared for one another. The idea that I possibly made that up in my head is practically soul-crushing.

"I've tried calling Elijah a couple of times to offer my condolences about Kol." Try: multiple times. "He never got back to me."

"Well, this search for the cure has been massively time-consuming. I knew it would be when I told him to do it. I'm sure it's been helpful for him in dealing with the loss of Kol." My heart fell.

"You sent Elijah to do this and he didn't want to be here so he was eager to find the cure for you. And Katherine just so happens to have it." Klaus didn't appear to hear the disheartening emotion in my voice… or maybe he did and it was exactly the response he wanted.

"I'm not too sure how I feel about trusting Katherine's word but Elijah seems to believe she's genuine and he's all I've got to go on."

"Why does he believe she's genuine?" I knew the answer. I'm not even sure why I asked.

"I assume there's still something residual there for him. He's certainly never seen her for what she is."

"I guess not," I said almost sharply. "I- I have to go. I told Caroline I'd meet her. I'll be back later. That's good news about the cure." I turned and walked out the door.

Unfortunately, I wasn't all that helpful during prom dress shopping. It was successful insofar as Caroline got a unique dress and our friendship was on the mend. Damon was supposedly footing my prom dress bill but I couldn't bring myself to buy one. None of them caught my eye but then, I don't think I was really looking. My mind was still on Elijah.

Klaus had told me he knew all about Kol, was completely aware of that situation. So does he blame me by association? Does he know that Elena and Jeremy were the ones that tricked his younger brother into coming into a trap? Does he think I agreed with it or that I even participated? Surely, Klaus told him that I didn't. But if Klaus told him I didn't, he doubtless told Elijah that Jeremy had paid with his life, which means Elijah is willingly working with the woman who killed my baby brother.

Once home, I shut myself up in Elijah's room and debated reading one of his journals. One of the things about my relationship/friendship with Elijah is that I still know almost nothing about him. Earlier, that didn't seem like it mattered much because I was aware that we had quite a bit in common but compared to the friendship I now have with Klaus, the one I have with Elijah pales in comparison. But if I want to have an honest and open relationship with Elijah, he has to be the one to open up to me. I can't force something like that and I am most certainly not going to invade his privacy in order to make myself feel closer to him.

Truthfully, it would be more honest to admit that it's possible that Elijah and I were never as close as I thought we were. After the events with Esther and even after Klaus's supposed "death," the dynamic shifted and he left. I have to wonder whether I did something. Where and when did the change happen? How come I didn't notice until now, until it was dangled in front of my face? Was it throwing Elena underground with Rebekah? Was the letter he left me after that meant to be him sort of letting the axe fall on our friendship? Or was it something else? Something like Klaus.

Why should I even care? He's not in Mystic Falls and leaves whenever he's been here longer than a few weeks. The longest amount of time I spent with him was pre-Klaus, pre-sacrifice, pre-everything-awful. Since then, we went to the ball together and he threatened Elena back when I was still fond of her. I'm sure he thought there was no coming back from that.

I was distracted from this pity party when Klaus walked into the room. That was unusual simply because we almost never approached each other privately. In fact, the only time I've seen Klaus's bedroom was the night that Alaric's alter-ego attacked me.

"Vivian, I thought I would tell you that Silas is in town," Klaus said, "and he apparently has the ability to take on the appearance of whoever he wants." I sat up on Elijah's bed, curious.

"Have you seen him?" He looked wary of saying anything and then decided on shaking his head. I'll take that as a yes.

"No. I just wanted to let you know so you'd be aware."

"I can't imagine that someone like Silas would have much interest in me."

"It seems like he might want something from me and I just want you to be careful." I hadn't noticed it immediately but I think Klaus was worried about this. I knew Silas was someone to be feared if he had Klaus concerned about what he could do.

"I will. Thank you." I almost asked whether Klaus was scared of Silas but there was no need to stir that pot. The day that Klaus admitted he was frightened of anything (other than his father) would be the day hell froze over.

"I also wanted to apologize for earlier. I know that speaking with you about Elijah and his feelings for Katherine was completely beyond the pale." I shook my head.

"Oh no, not at all. Please don't apologize for that. I knew about it. It's okay."

"I think it upset you nonetheless. I don't want you to think that I sent Elijah to do this with the intention of having him seduce Katherine for the cure or anything of the sort. I didn't even know she was in the game until recently." Unfortunately, that conclusion was exactly where my mind had wanted to go earlier in the day. I had found it strange that Klaus didn't pick up on how I felt about the whole thing because he's normally very perceptive and I wondered what would've been an explanation for that. My thought was that he possibly didn't want Elijah in town for whatever reason and was taking advantage of the fact that I was clueless about what was going on. But then I had to consider the idea that Klaus probably thinks Elijah isn't even in the running anymore. He's not here and he hasn't been here for a lot of the things that ended up bringing Klaus and I closer. So there is no reason why Klaus would want to manipulate me into thinking that Elijah doesn't want to be in Mystic Falls and seemingly, doesn't care about keeping up a friendship with me. If I think those things, it's because there is a basis for them, not because Klaus is messing with my head.

"No, really, it is fine. Even if that's what you wanted, it is none of my business what Elijah does. I'm not with him."

"But you care for him."

"Look, we don't have to talk about this." In fact, I would prefer it if Klaus and I never talked about Elijah again. It was weird, mostly because I had developed feelings for Elijah long before I ever met Klaus or knew he wasn't as bad as he was made out to be.

"Of course, you're right." I was glad to see that Klaus quite obviously found it as awkward a subject as I did. "I just assumed you've probably thought about it all day because you're that type of person. Elijah's been a bit odd lately because of Kol. He gets off on thinking he's the patriarch of the family so he believes he has a responsibility for the rest of us. I guess he thinks he failed Kol because he could've persuaded him to not attack Jeremy." I took a deep breath. Jeremy was still an open wound and a festering one at that.

"I think it's pretty clear that nobody could've controlled Kol or told him what to do."

"Well, you and I know that. Elijah just wants to fix what's broken." That explains why he's always been taken with Katherine. "I'll leave you be. I just didn't want you to think badly of me and I don't want you to think badly of Elijah." Frankly, something absolutely horrible would have to happen for me to push Elijah off the pedestal I put him on. Even this situation doesn't make think less of him.

"That's really sweet of you," I said and he left.

When I woke up the next day, I already had three missed calls from Damon. Apparently, Elena and Rebekah abandoned him and stole his car. He wanted Stefan to drive up and get him and he would "seriously, majorly, incredibly appreciate it" if I came along. I agreed to it, knowing that I would probably come to regret the decision.

I let Klaus know I was leaving before taking off with Stefan. Klaus didn't seem comfortable with the idea but to his credit, he didn't say anything. I wanted to talk to him more about Silas and his supreme fear of him but I assumed that if he wanted to say something, he would. I tried not to dwell on it as Stefan and I jetted off down the highway.

"So, uh, how is living with Klaus?" Stefan asked as I was devouring some fries.

"It's pretty nice, actually," I responded. "He's been helpful with… Jeremy and everything. He's good with me." That statement was loaded but entirely true. Perhaps stupidly, naively, innocently, I believed that Klaus understood me.

"Well, I support you," he said. "I know that Damon would never tell you that and Elena… Elena is just completely gone for the time being. But I wanted you to know that one of your friends is completely supportive of you." I almost felt like crying. For some reason, I believe that was exactly what I needed to hear.

"Stefan, I cannot tell you how much that means to me. I really appreciate it." He only shrugged and put his hand against my arm for a second. "I take it Damon told you all about my Tulane acceptance."

"Oh, he did. He wanted to steam open that letter before I convinced him to just give it to you." That sounds like Damon. "So your goal is to just get the hell out of dodge and never look back?"

"'Never look back' might be a little harsh. I don't know. I just have this feeling that leaving for a while will help me clear my head and learn what I want."

"I think that's smart. Don't let Damon guilt trip you about it. You're allowed to move on in whatever way works best for you." Surprisingly, I don't believe losing Jeremy influenced my decision whatsoever. "But I'm curious. You've built up this… relationship of sorts with the Originals, particularly the brothers. Are you giving that up?"

"I, uh, haven't given that much thought. But to be honest with you, I feel like my relationship with them is tentative at best. I think New Orleans is going to be a fresh start."

"That's the first I've heard of you second-guessing the Originals since Klaus first got here."

"Klaus is actually the only person I feel sure of in this equation… but since you seem to be so accepting of this and since we have a lot of time to kill on the road, would it be strange to ask you for some advice?" Stefan seemed taken aback by my request at first but he quickly recovered. In fact, I think he was glad I wanted to talk to him about something that wasn't Elena.

"What do you need advice for? I thought you had all the Originals figured out."

"Maybe I do but maybe I don't. Mostly, I'm unsure of where everyone stands and what they want." I launched into the story about Elijah working with Katherine and never getting back to me then my suspicion of Klaus's motives in telling me about it and his subsequent apology for saying anything at all. This immediate situation only served to make me ponder about the larger scheme of things. Is going to New Orleans really going to require cutting ties with them, particularly Klaus? I don't think so. Is there a good reason for Elijah never sticking around? I'm sure there is. I am not the type of person to automatically jump to conclusions or at least, I don't think I am. That's why this has completely thrown me for a loop.

"You know, what it sounds like to me, and I'm speaking from experience when I tell you this, is that it seems like both Elijah and Klaus are almost rooting for each other," Stefan said.

"Now, that makes literally no sense whatsoever," I responded.

"Hear me out. When did Elijah really back off?"

"Around the time Esther tried to kill them. He threatened Elena's life and nearly scared me to death. He apologized in a letter."

"Well, that puts it squarely around the time of the ball, which was right around when Klaus started initially showing interest." I could still hear Elijah saying, 'He's quite taken with you, you know?' even now. Of course he was aware of what was happening with Klaus. He probably even knew that Klaus had invited me to the ball too. "I know from Rebekah that Elijah hasn't just pushed his feelings to the backburner. He's trying to give you a chance at something else."

"Are you saying that Elijah willingly left town and distanced himself from me because he knew how Klaus felt? And what chance did he want to give me? A normal life or a life with Klaus? I'm sorry, that's a hard pill to swallow, Stefan."

"It's not nearly as crazy as it sounds when you take into consideration the type of person Elijah is. Or the type of person Klaus is." Elijah giving something up for Klaus seemed almost natural for him. "Klaus, like Damon, probably balances wanting you and wanting better for you."

"And you're speaking from experience. Oh, Stefan, I am so sorry." He shook his head.

"It's over now. I just want you to know that it's more likely than you'd think." I covered my face with my hands.

"I feel terrible."

"You shouldn't. What happens with Klaus and Elijah is on them, not on you."

"I thought this conversation was going to make me feel better about leaving town and trying to put all of this behind me but frankly, it just makes me like them more."

"Well, I've got the feeling that New Orleans isn't going to give you the clean break you want. But if you want to at least clear the air for the time being, you've got to know where you stand before you can even think about them."

"If you're about to launch into a speech about learning from Elena's mistakes, believe me, I have." How come every time I say that it leaves a bad taste in my mouth?

"I don't think you need to learn from anyone's mistakes. I just think you need to know what you want." Which is much easier said than done.

I thought about this until we picked up Damon and then tracked down his car. After that, I was confronted with the real possibility that I may have to see Elijah. Damon apparently had found a list of places that Katherine had been seen in, which is why Elena and Rebekah had ditched him. They wanted the cure for Rebekah, not for Elena. We were going to track them down regardless but if the cure was close by, there was no reason not to pursue it to the Salvatores.

"So they stole this car and decided to drive it to this small town in Pennsylvania," said Stefan questioningly when we all got there. The town was cute and simple, not Katherine's style at all.

"Something's not right here," Damon replied. "Katherine Pierce does not hole up in Hickstown, PA."

"Maybe we're not in the right place," I said.

"We've gotta be," said Stefan. "That's the car they stole."

"Okay, let's cover our bases. Where would they be?" asked Damon.

"The diner is always a good guess where Rebekah is concerned," said Stefan. "If they've found Katherine, that is."

"Well, since the town isn't on fire, I'm guessing they've already subdued her," I responded. "They wouldn't stick around if Katherine had already skipped town."

"Okay, the diner. Let's check the diner," Damon said.

When the three of us walked in, we immediately spotted the three girls. Elena had changed her hair. It was curly and streaked with pink. Katherine and Rebekah were sitting in front of her. All of them were arguing.

"Are we late to the party?" Damon asked, sauntering up to their booth. Stefan and I exchanged a look before walking forward. None of them looked remotely happy to see us. "And what the hell are you wearing, Elena?" She had on an uncharacteristic leather jacket, strappy black heels, and heavy makeup.

"Just looking for the cure," she responded. It was the first time I'd heard her speak since the house burned down. In fact, I was almost taken aback by it. "That's what you wanted, isn't it?"

"You know what, Elena, I don't even have the time to list all of the things that are wrong with you right now."

"Good because we don't have the time to listen," said Rebekah. "Elena is dressed like that because we're about to have her impersonate Katherine, who has a personal meeting with somebody called 'EM.'" I felt my heartbeat skip and Katherine perked up. EM stands for Elijah Mikaelson. I would stake my life on it.

"Vivian, I didn't think you had any interest in the cure," Katherine said slyly.

"I'm not here for the cure. I'm here to give you the you-killed-my-baby-brother speech," I responded.

"And I'm here to hold you down," Damon said. Elena openly rolled her eyes.

"Are you saying you've stopped blaming me for his death?" Elena asked me.

"Not exactly but you've got bigger issues than that right now."

"And what exactly-"

"Cool it. Shut up," said Damon. "Who is EM, Katherine? Are you giving them the cure?"

"Maybe, maybe not," said Katherine. "But EM will get mad if I'm not on time." Elena started to stand up.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, where do you think you're going, missy? Sit your ass down."

"Look, someone has got to go meet this person and it cannot be Katherine," said Rebekah before Elena could respond.

"Well, it's not going to be Elena," said Stefan.

"It should be Vivian," Katherine interjected. That stopped everyone in their tracks.

"Well, as flattering as that is, I would never pass for you and I have no interest in participating in your idea of a practical joke, Katherine," I told her, trying incredibly hard not to show how nervous I was becoming.

"Oh, it's no joke."

"Look, Katherine, you aren't gonna trick Vivian into walking into a trap where she'll get killed," Damon said.

"She wouldn't get killed. EM wouldn't lay a finger on her… unless she asked." Katherine laughed and my face reddened.

"Don't do this," I muttered.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Rebekah demanded.

"You see, EM is a friend of mine," Katherine said. "He's also a friend of Vivian's. You might know him. Original brother, impeccable taste."

"I've got to question his impeccable taste if he's friends with you," Stefan replied.

"Elijah!" Rebekah exclaimed. "You've got to be kidding me." Damon audibly groaned.

"Well, this is working out great," said Elena. "Vivian can do her usual poor-me routine, including her doe eyes, pouty lips, and crying when she doesn't get her way." I flinched.

"Other people may take this bitchiness but I'm not going to," I responded. "If you're going to insult me, at least say something that's true."

"I'm sorry. What exactly wasn't true about that description? Or was it that I left something out? Playing the victim? Sucking up?" My blood was starting to boil.

"Actually, there is a part of the routine you're miss-"

"Don't do it, Viv," said Damon. "Slapping her isn't enough."

"So Elijah is coming to town? What for?" asked Stefan, trying to keep us on track.

"I'll explain after I meet with him," said Katherine. "Since you're so opposed to Vivian and Elena doing it, I suppose I'll just have to keep to my original plan."

"No one opposed Vivian going."

"Um, I do," Damon replied.

"You don't count."

"I don't think this is such a good idea," I said. "She's brokering a deal with Elijah to give the cure to Klaus. She wants to stop running and Klaus wants the cure so it can't be used on him. I'm not a good middle man for this." Stefan and Damon seemed almost perplexed that I knew what was going on but then, Damon rolled his eyes and only shrugged.

"You know what, I actually considered coming to you," Katherine responded. "I thought, who better to get me in with Klaus and Elijah than the girl who has supplanted me. You've been the real surprise here, Vivian. I always counted you out, the twin no one knew was coming. But you've really made something of yourself. I thought Elena would be more likely to take up my mantle than you." Rebekah grabbed Katherine's wrist and twisted until I heard it crack.

"Some things never change, do they?" Stefan said. "You're still the same manipulative bitch you always were. I'm not sure why Elijah's been putting up with you."

"What can I say?" she replied seductively despite the obvious pain she was in. My stomach almost turned.

"The meeting is at 2," Elena groaned. "Someone has got to go and it's going to be me."

"No," I said. "I'll do it." Stefan gave me a look of reassurance. He was behind me in this.

I didn't have to wear any of Katherine's clothing because I would be a hopeless impersonation of her. In fact, all I got from them was the place Elijah and I were supposed to meet; a gazebo near the park in town. I took my phone and my nerves.

The gazebo was pretty but I didn't really take the time to enjoy it. Instead I paced, almost burning a hole in the soles of my Oxfords. It was possible Elijah wouldn't approach me when he saw I wasn't Katherine. I wasn't sure what would be worse; seeing him or him dodging me again. A cold breeze blew by and I wrapped my thick sweater around me tighter. Deep breaths. Stop looking at your watch. Calm down. Stop pacing.

The next thing I knew, there was a hand against my shoulder. I turned and Elijah was there. I think I gasped.

"Vivian," he said without taking his hand off my shoulder. I wish I could describe just how handsome Elijah is. I've never seen anyone surpass him. Sometimes, I wondered if it was the way he carries himself or the way he talks but there's something about the way he looks at me that just takes the cake. I hope everybody will have someone look at them the way Elijah looked at me that day. It was knee-buckling, swoony, and I swear, I felt my temperature rise.

"Elijah," I murmured in response. I knew Stefan had been right and I felt guilty. I wish I hadn't talked myself into this corner. I wish I hadn't kept dwelling on all of these things.

"What a pleasant surprise." His hand drifted from my shoulder to my neck and the side of my face. My heart skipped a beat. I wanted to close my eyes and just enjoy it. "I take it the Salvatore brothers are keeping Katherine subdued." Just like that, he dropped his hand as though he believed he'd overstepped his boundaries.

"They and our sisters are, yes." He appeared almost confused at that.

"Rebekah is with Katherine?" His tone suggested that that would only ever end badly.

"They're not hurting her." I didn't know whether they were or not but I thought it would be best to reassure Elijah before this whole ordeal went south.

"Well, she can take care of herself," he responded. There was something like disappointment in his voice. Perhaps, Elijah just liked people he could fix and take care of. Katherine hadn't been that way in an extremely long time. "I apologize for being so hard to get in touch with. I've been dealing with Katherine," Elijah said, instantly changing the subject. I was shocked that he didn't want more detail about what all of us were doing here.

"Well," I started, "I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am about Kol." He shook his head in response.

"That's kind of you but I am the one who should be sorry. I only just heard about Jeremy." My stomach dropped. I knew that avoiding the topic of Jeremy wasn't a good or healthy idea but it had been helpful.

"From Katherine?" I asked, clasping my hands together.

"Klaus is the one who told me," he replied questioningly. "Why would you think Katherine would know anything?" I'm sure I looked utterly perplexed. How could he not know? Why wouldn't she have told him? Didn't Klaus say Elijah still knew everything going on in Mystic Falls?

"Katherine is responsible for Jeremy's death." This seemed to throw him. He even took a step back from me. "I thought you knew." That had been part of the reason why his working with Katherine had been so hard to swallow. If he didn't know Jeremy was dead, that was one thing, but to be completely aware and yet, still want to be with her… I just couldn't fathom it.

"I'm not sure why that surprises me."

"I'm sorry I told you that way because I know you've been working with her and I assume, she's been trying to be truthful with you." Katherine was anything but thoughtless. She had to know that Elijah would only respect her and their deal if she was open and trustworthy. But Klaus's words about Elijah always being fond of her crossed my mind. He might be doing this on good faith and because he still believes the Katherine he knew was in there.

"It appears she hasn't." He was put out, even angry. "What happened?" I told him everything, down to Elena turning off her emotions and burning our house down. I knew there wasn't much point in omitting any information. When I was through, he looked as though he felt awful. "Vivian, I cannot apologize to you enough. I would never have agreed to pursue this with Katherine if I had been aware of her participation in your brother's death."

"It's okay. You didn't know." That wasn't good enough for him. I could tell that Katherine omitting this information was a massive betrayal to him. "I understand the way you feel about her. You thought by brokering this deal with Klaus, she could change." But change into what? The girl he fell in love with all those centuries ago?

"Yes, I did but I was foolish. I didn't trust her but I certainly did not expect this. I'm no better than I was when I walked into her trap 500 years ago." I sort of agreed.

"Maybe it wasn't the best move but it was not foolish. You care for her, you were in love with her. You wouldn't be the man you are if you gave up on trying to help Katherine, especially when she seems to be in need of it." I can't believe I was actually defending this when I was outright disappointed by it the day before.

"I agreed to this… hunt for the cure for Niklaus's sake. Katherine only came into it recently. It seemed so simple that I should serve as a go-between for these two, who utterly detest one another. Finally, this ridiculous chase after her would be over. A situation that has caused so many so much grief would be dissolved. I regretfully thought she was different."

"Why would she want you to think she's changed?" I knew the answer to that. Wherever there is a good looking man, there will be Katherine to seduce him.

"I assume she knew being on my good side would be of help to her. She also seemed to think I would fall for the same tricks she pulls on every man but I'm better than that now or so I thought."

"This is just what she does and it's what she's good at. There's no need to beat yourself up over it or try to explain yourself to me. You owe me nothing. She's trying to survive the same way she always has; by looking out for herself." Quite frankly, Elijah was taking this as though he believed it was almost a personal affront to me. It wasn't one.

"Once she was so much like you." And now I am so much like her. "She even looked like you. I thought she was returning to that." I took a deep breath.

"I don't believe Katherine would ever want to remotely resemble me."

"She should aspire to." I smiled. Then my phone started ringing (because I am never allowed to enjoy a great moment).

"Damon?" I said.

"Viv, put Elijah on the phone," he replied in a rather exasperated voice.

"Are you okay?"

"Oh yeah, I just took a swim in some vervain water, thanks to his girlfriend. And I mean Katherine, not you." I sighed, my face getting hotter. "Give him the phone." I raised my eyebrows and handed it to Elijah.

"Yes?" Elijah said.

I could hear Damon saying some choice things, mostly about Katherine, the cure, and me. One statement was, "I thought you were the _smart _Original and yet, you're screwing Katherine?!" The next was, "She's a dirty liar and she gave Rebekah a _fake _cure! Please kill her." Then there was, "Don't sit there and try to pretend you aren't buttering up Vivian with your good looks and your charm! You don't deserve her, especially since you've sullied yourself with Katherine!" After that, "You're never around and you don't respond to Vivian and she may forgive and forget that but guess what? I'm not going to! If you hurt her, I will get that damn white oak stake and kill you! I don't care who else it kills!" I sat on a bench with my head in my hands the whole time. Elijah barely got to respond in the middle of Damon's spiel. When we get home, I am going to have to tell Damon that he embarrasses me more than my parents ever did.

When Damon finally shut up, I heard Elijah reply to him. "Damon, you may rest assured that nothing has occurred between Katherine and I other than a business transaction that has since been disbanded. I will retrieve the cure from her since you were unable to. Lastly, do not ever presume to tell me how to compose myself or how I should control my actions. I make my own choices as does Vivian. Oh, and before I forget, I do not take threats lightly. If you think that you can beat me, you can't." I peeked through my fingers and saw Elijah hang up my phone before turning towards me.

I stood up and Elijah handed my phone back to me. "I did not put him up to that," I said. He only shook his head.

"I know. I shouldn't have been as harsh with him. He just wants to look out for you." I appreciate that about Damon but sometimes, it is absolutely mortifying.

"Don't feel bad about it. He needs to be taught a lesson sometimes." Elijah smiled for a quick second.

"Well, in case there needs to be further clarification for everyone, nothing romantic occurred between Katherine and I. I regret if that was your perception of the situation." I watched him twist his daylight ring around his finger. It was the closest thing to nervous I'd ever seen him.

"Oh no. I think it was just a case of people jumping to conclusions." And I was one of them.

He looked relieved as he moved on to the next subject at hand. "Katherine will most likely seek me out to try and repair our deal with the cure. I suppose all we have to do is wait."

"I wouldn't want to impose. The two of you have a lot to work out. I'll just go find Stefan." I moved to walk away.

"Don't," he replied. I stopped and turned toward him. I knew then that my feelings for Elijah were real and unquestionably magnetic. Just one word from him was enough for me. Whatever he told me was enough. I would forgive him those long, extended absences. They were worth it when every time we saw each other again, it felt like this. "When I acquire the cure, I'm coming back to Mystic Falls."

"For good?" If he said yes, I would think about cancelling my acceptance to Tulane. I would genuinely consider it.

"There's something I have to take care of in New Orleans but then, yes." What are the odds?

"I'm going to college in New Orleans," I replied. "I got accepted at Tulane. I'm actually going down right after graduation."

"That's remarkably well-timed." He twisted his ring around his finger again, just like I always twist Jeremy's. "It's possible that what I have to do will take longer than I thought."

"Good," I responded before I could stop myself.

Katherine arrived not long afterwards. I stood back and attempted to not eavesdrop but that was hard to do. Katherine wasn't pleased that I dropped the Jeremy bombshell. Elijah wasn't pleased she left it out. She couldn't believe I was able to change his mind. He couldn't believe that she thought I wouldn't.

The conversation was heated and full of undisguised feeling. Katherine gazed at Elijah as though he was the finest specimen she'd ever seen. Elijah returned that look with one of disappointment and old attraction. By the end of the exchange, I was almost sorry that I disturbed their agreement.

Suddenly, Elijah's phone started ringing and he answered it, turning away from Katherine and me. I heard enough of the conversation to know it was Rebekah on the end of the line.

Katherine took this opportunity to approach me. Surprisingly, she didn't look malicious and she didn't even look like she held me at fault. "You're my last bet," she said to me, pulling a small jewelry box out of her jacket.

"You want me to give this to Klaus in exchange for your freedom? You think I actually have the power to do that?" I responded.

"Don't be modest. I know you've got more pull with him than most."

"True as that may be, I still don't have the ability to make him give up his most famous vendetta." She gave me a look that made me feel supremely sorry for her. "But perhaps, if Elijah and I both put in a good word for you, it will be enough."

And it was enough for her. She handed over the jewelry box. I opened it and stared at the small vial inside. I was holding in my hand the equivalent of the new moonstone. I was in charge of its fate.

"You're a lucky girl, Vivian." I shut the box at Katherine's voice.

"How so?" I muttered. Elijah was still on the phone and I was hopelessly alone with her.

"People never considered you, never gave you a second glance, and now, you're in with the Original family." If I didn't know any better, I would say she was envious.

"I hear that a lot and I still don't quite think it's true. Being decent to them hasn't resulted in me being adopted and changing my last name."

"That's what you think. Just because you're not with them all the time doesn't change your standing. I was in the same position as you once and it was nothing like this."

"I'm not malicious and I'm not looking to gain anything."

"There's more to it than that. I'd revel in it if I were you. Enjoy all of the protection, the friendship, the love. It won't last forever. The Mikaelsons are a rakish bunch and if something stands to tear them apart, even unintentionally, they will abandon it."

"You don't know me, Katherine. I am not you."

"I think your nose just grew a bit." My grip tightened around the box containing the cure. "Sure, you're more innocent, kinder, and almost as pretty as I am but you're not all that different."

"I'm not simultaneously dating and sleeping with men in order to get what I want. In fact, I think you could argue there's nothing really going on between myself and the Mikaelsons at all." She made a face.

"That's where you're wrong. I've got it on good authority that you and Klaus are far more than roommates." What the hell was that supposed to mean? "And I've seen the way you look at Elijah. It's not innocent. It's not friendship. It is longing." I felt my heart pound. "He feels the same way. It could not be more obvious. When he looks at you, it is practically gag-inducing."

"If the point of this was my humiliation then you've achieved it. Now, please cut to the chase." I think she wanted to laugh.

"I just want to offer you some guidance. You're a sweet girl, Vivian, but you are remarkably out of your depth. My advice to you is to consider your choice very carefully because that decision may come back to haunt you." I gulped. "After you suck up to Klaus for me, of course."

She was gone after that, leaving me and Elijah still at the gazebo. Night was setting in and so was the cold. I was still clutching the cure when Elijah finally got off the phone with Rebekah. I know he heard every word of Katherine and I's conversation but to his credit, he didn't say anything. It was mortifying nonetheless.

"She gave it to me," I said, holding out my hand. The box was small and the vial of the cure was even smaller. It was hard to believe I was holding the thing that cost my brother his life.

"Are you going to give it to Klaus?" he responded. "Or Elena?"

"I'm going to give it to you."

"Why?" he asked.

"I'm not a good deliberator. In fact, if Rebekah was here, I would just give it to her. If I made the choice, she'd have it. But I realize more thought should go into it than just what I want and who I think deserves it. So I want you to do with it what you wish." I felt pretty sure that when it came down to it, Elijah would give it to Rebekah too. Klaus might even give it to Rebekah.

"Are you sure?" I nodded.

"I'm sure. But we have to put in a good word with Klaus for Katherine. I practically gave her my word on it." He nodded back and reached out, taking the box out of my hand. I watched him place it inside his suit jacket.

"I'll bring it back to Mystic Falls and let Rebekah and Klaus try to earn it." I smiled.

"I like that idea." I looked down at my watch, shifting it towards the light of a streetlamp. "If I don't get back soon, Damon and Stefan will leave without me. I'm so happy I got to see you today and I'm certainly glad you're coming back to Mystic Falls. At least it won't be so long before we see each other again." I am so awkward. I don't even know why I open my mouth sometimes.

"Before you go, allow me to offer you my condolences about Jeremy once more. I know the pain of losing a brother all too well. I know how all this must be weighing on you and it is a heavy burden to bear alone." He moved toward me and I almost told him to stop. I wasn't sure what I would do if he touched me.

"Well, that's so incredibly sweet of you. I'm doing all right, really. It will just take time."

"Yes, it will." Elijah extended his arm like he meant to touch me but paused. "If you need anything, do let me know. I won't be so hard to get in touch with anymore."

"I hope so." Finally, he put his hand to my face. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. The hairs on my arms stood on end.

"There's something different about you, Vivian." My eyes popped open.

"Is there?" I wondered what it could be. Am I showing some sign that I kissed Klaus?

"I can't quite put my finger on it but it's not at all a bad change." I smiled again.

I moved forward and wrapped my arms around him. Even though I was cold, I felt warm. Whenever I started to think that what I felt about Elijah wasn't as serious as originally thought, it is turned on its head. Elijah is electrifying and almost unreal.

Elijah's fingers entwined in my hair and I got as close to him as I could. In that moment, I knew that what Katherine said was true. Right then, I would have had Elijah at the expense of the world. Damn the consequences and what other people think. But who was to say that when I got home, I wouldn't feel the same about Klaus? This is dangerous.

I pulled away, again, because I just can't enjoy a spectacular moment. I put my hand against my chest quickly and then dropped it. My pulse was out of control. Does that contribute to a shorter life?

"It's occurred to me that we're travelling to the same place," Elijah said.

"Yes, we are," I responded. "I suppose I should let Stefan and Damon deal with Elena anyway."

"Then it's settled. We'll go together. You have been staying with Niklaus, haven't you?"

"Yes. I'm glad you brought that up because I've actually been staying in your room." Weird, right? The whole place smells girly and you're definitely going to think I read your journals. I didn't, I promise!

I guess I have to move into Kol's room.


	29. Chapter 29

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"Nope," Rebekah told me, shaking her head. "That's definitely not your style." As I looked at myself in the store mirror, I realized she was right. The prom dress I was trying on flared at the bottom like a mermaid's tail and was tight elsewhere.

"Yeah, I agree," I replied, reaching behind my back to grab the zipper. Rebekah stood up and did it for me. "You fell in love with the first dress you tried on and yet, here we are, two hours later and I still haven't found one."

She laughed. "I've been planning my prom experience for a long time. I knew exactly what I wanted." I retreated back into my dressing room and slipped out of the dark pink mess that was that dress. "Try the pale blue one! I think I like that one!"

The pale blue dress was floor-length, sleek, and intricately beaded with strands that would swing about my lower half. It reminded me of a longer version of a flapper dress. I am a sucker for anything remotely 1920s-esque. Even before putting it on, I was pretty sure I was in love. I slid into it easily and immediately decided it was the one. It gave the appearance of being sheer in some places and for once in my life, I thought I might be almost sexy.

"That's it! That is it!" Rebekah exclaimed when she saw me. "I love it, Vivian. You know, the flapper look is spectacular on you."

"I'm beginning to think I was born in the wrong decade," I responded, attempting to get a look at the tag. When I saw it, I winced. "Bad news. This dress is the most expensive one either of us has tried on."

"Good news. You have Damon Salvatore's credit card."

"I knew there was an upside." And just like that, Rebekah and I were ready for prom.

It's been a little over a week since we went to Pennsylvania. It was my first trip to a northern state and I didn't even buy a souvenir. Damon informed me that Elena killed a waitress before they left town because she didn't want him and Stefan to try to obtain the cure for her. His exact words were, "I would have sawed off my own foot to be riding with you and Elijah than witnessing that ordeal." My exact response was, "You've really got a way with words."

To be honest, I haven't given too much thought to Elena lately. With her emotions off, she's unbearable. She's been staying with Rebekah because she's the only one who can stand her. I'd like to know why Rebekah found this Elena preferable to her former self but I never brought it up in conversation. I especially wasn't going to broach that topic today, when Rebekah was under strict orders to live a day as a human.

When I woke up this morning in my new room (Kol's, just as I suspected), I heard Rebekah, Elijah, and Klaus already going at it. Rebekah was imploring Elijah to give her the cure while Klaus wanted it to subdue Silas (and in the process, bring down the Other Side). I had to admit, giving the cure to Elijah was the best choice I'd made in a long time. Even then, I was close to yelling down the stairs for them to flip a coin. Eventually, Elijah decided on Rebekah but only if she could prove to him that wanting to be human wasn't a whim, so she had to live an entire day as one.

I wasn't even dressed yet when she knocked on the door, asking to go prom dress shopping with me. She said she'd been meaning to ask me anyway but it would help her to follow my lead. Frankly, I wasn't sure how to help her. I was just going to live like I did every day.

I guess I was a help to her. We both got prom dresses and no one was compelled or eaten.

Rebekah dropped me off back at Klaus's and only told me "good luck with those two." I grabbed my dress out of the backseat and pulled out my phone. I called Damon.

"What are you doing?" I asked, slowly walking through the yard.

"Playing football with Stefan! What are you doing?"

"I just got my prom dress and I'm about to start rummaging through the stuff I brought over from my old house. I'm sincerely hoping I had the forethought to carry some prom-worthy shoes with me." The odds were slim on that one.

"Well, you've still got time to get some before tonight. I take it you're a little more enthused about prom than you were." I folded my dress over my arm.

"Maybe I am. Prom is actually why I'm calling. I know I'm not supposed to ask you something so important over the phone but here's the thing." I was trying so hard to be serious and not laugh. "Since Caroline is being so strict on this whole 'friend prom' idea, I was wondering if you would do me the honor of being my date to senior prom."

Damon laughed. "Aren't I a little old for you?"

"You know no respectable senior is showing up without their hot slightly-too-old-for-high-school date. Besides, I've already ordered your boutonniere."

"I'm going to have to pay attention to Elena though. You know how you hate that. Stefan and I are thinking we'll break through to her."

"Come on, Damon! Let's just pretend it's like it used to be, where you came as my date to all the dances to make sure someone didn't die!" I can't believe it but I was already beginning to miss Mystic Falls and particularly, Damon. It won't be long at all until I leave. The day after graduation was when they wanted me.

"Technically, that hasn't changed. I'm still trying to make sure someone doesn't die. It's just that now instead of worrying about Elena, I'll have to worry about everyone else. I don't even want to go." I groaned.

"Wait, weren't you the one that said, 'Viv, pretty dresses and dancing are your thing, embrace it'?" I said in a phony voice. "'Prom is a normal high school experience and you can't leave Mystic Falls without it!'"

"I don't actually sound like that."

"Yes, you do and the theme is Memories. What better way to end my high school career than by reliving every dance where someone tried to kill us? Come on, Damon. You can ask me to dance and stare at Elena the whole time, like you used to. Is it a crime to want to go to prom with my best friend?"

"Vivian Gilbert, are you reminiscing? Are you actually gonna miss this place?"

"Maybe," I replied.

"Damn it, you've guilt-tripped me over the phone. I don't know how you do it. Stop doing that voice thing."

"What voice thing?" I questioned.

"Oh, you know the one. 'I'm Vivian and I'm so nice and sweet and I'll get you to do whatever I want.'"

"One, I do not sound like that. Two, I have never said anything like that."

"Yeah, well, that's what that your voice thing does." I laughed. "I'll pick you up at 8, not before. I'll get you a white corsage and I'm bringing a flask."

"My dress is pale blue, if you're into matching."

"I'm not." I laughed again.

"I'm serious, Damon, thank you. If you have to pay attention to Elena to make sure she doesn't hurt anybody, that's okay. I just want to have a fun night with you and a good send off."

"You'll get one. Should we get dinner? What about Olive Garden?"

We hung up and I meekly entered the house. I don't know why I bothered to always be so quiet when I was living with vampires. They could literally hear if I took a breath. But as I wasn't paying rent and really wasn't doing anything to earn my keep besides cleaning up after myself, I thought it was best to make sure I wasn't a nuisance. In the past week, it's been pretty easy to fly under the radar. Rebekah had been over a lot and all three of the Originals had been talking about the cure and what to do with it. That was the all-consuming conversation topic and those conversations never stayed civil for long. So I took my sweet time coming and going.

I had been keeping mostly to myself, trying to catch up on schoolwork I'd missed. Now, I was staying in Kol's room, just in case Rebekah decided to move back in but that didn't seem likely to me. I didn't have many complaints other than the bed, which was much too hard for me. Elijah had protested me moving rooms at all, saying I'd lived there longer than he had. But I told him the room was meant to be his and he was going to stay in it. I wasn't going to be a permanent resident anyway.

The door creaked when I opened it and I sucked in a breath. Isn't this house a new construction? Why are the damn doors creaking? I held tight to my dress and went inside.

You know, I'm not sure why it didn't cross my mind that this arrangement might end up making me feel weird. Damon would call it denial. Stefan would call it trying-to-make-the-best-out-of-the-situation. I just call it stupidity.

The fact of the matter is that I have obvious feelings for Elijah and unaddressed feelings for Klaus. Living with them, sharing everything with them, seeing them once in my nightgown (Wednesday night was absolutely humiliating) are all things that have complicated my already complicated mindset.

Klaus has been in a mood ever since we got back. In fact, he was standing on the porch when Elijah and I drove up. He claimed that Silas was the impetus for it and I could definitely see that. I felt horrible when I arrived back home and Klaus revealed that he'd been under the impression he was dying. Silas had apparently appeared as me and stabbed Klaus with the white oak stake (and I have so many questions about that. Did Silas appear as me because it was easy to get to Klaus that way or because I am so unassuming?). So Klaus's fear of Silas was real and something that I genuinely worried about. I understood why he wanted to possess the cure so badly, which is why I couldn't be happier that I wasn't in Elijah's position.

While Klaus has been openly angry and annoyed about everything, putting it all under the moniker of Silas, Elijah hasn't given any reaction at all. I've long thought Elijah to be brilliant and calculating and this home situation has only confirmed that. He's totally different around me when I'm alone than when we're around Klaus. This told me that Stefan had been spot on. Elijah was sparing Klaus's feelings. When I run into him alone, it's like the air is charged. When it's the three of us, it's almost awkward because I think we're all aware of what everyone else is doing. Klaus is uncomfortable and probably feels like Elijah returning home without a word is overstepping his boundaries. Elijah is clearly in tune to everyone's feelings and doesn't want to hurt any of them (family above all, right?). Meanwhile, I just chant to myself, "Doppelganger blood doesn't make you one. You are not Katherine. Not Elena."

It hasn't been bad, just awkward. I think we've all been waiting for something to happen to push us to the point where we all admit something's going on here. I wondered if we're all acting this way because we're aware that it can't be permanent. New Orleans is looming on the horizon and everyone knows it.

I shut the door behind me. For a second, I thought I was just going to be able to go upstairs, hang my dress up, and take a shower. Prom has me on a very tight schedule.

"So what's the dress look like? What on earth did Rebekah end up with?" Klaus asked me. I laughed and turned.

"My dress is blue and pretty Gatsby. Rebekah got a yellow number that makes her look even more stunning than usual," I responded.

"Any vampire activities?"

"Well, when we got there, she slit open the clerk's neck and served me a drink." He looked like he might be taking me seriously for a second. He desperately wanted Rebekah to mess up. "I'm just kidding. She's passing the test with flying colors."

"Ah," he responded, clearly disappointed. "Well, I couldn't help overhearing that you asked Damon to be your date."

"You couldn't help it, huh?" Klaus almost laughed, acting self-conscious.

"I was just curious why you would pick him." And not you?

"Well, it is 'friend prom' this year and otherwise, Elena would be having two dates. I just don't think that's fair, do you?"

"Oh, the Petrova doppelgangers always have men lining up wishing to do whatever they want."

"I imagine that's a burden, having such exquisite beauty and magical blood that everyone you come into contact with wants you for something." Having the blood was more than enough for me, especially after seeing all that Elena and Katherine have gone through.

"Are you returning to your former good feelings about Elena?"

"Not at all. In fact, I hope I don't run into her tonight. I'm not sure what I'd do."

"She won't be emotionless forever. Your falling out isn't a permanent thing." Shamefully, I wanted it to be. I didn't want to feel guilty when I left for New Orleans in a couple of weeks. I wanted to know that I had said everything that needed to be said to her so I could move on. If I was still attached to her and if I honestly wanted to make up, it would make moving that much harder. Leaving Damon behind was going to be difficult enough and I hadn't even begun to consider how to approach leaving people like Klaus. Knowing that Elijah supposedly had something to do down in the French Quarter was the main thing keeping me going. "Damon and Stefan's plan might work and tonight, she may be back to normal."

"I think Silas showing up and DJ-ing is more likely to happen than that." He cracked an absolutely winning smile at me. "Klaus, I really appreciate the fact that you and Elijah have been rooting for me and Elena to get our relationship on the mend. It's been so kind and thoughtful of you both. I'm not proud of it but I just don't feel I can honestly do anything with her right now."

"That's nothing to be ashamed of. I've gone centuries without speaking to a sibling before so I completely understand your dilemma."

"Then Elijah put you up to this," I said, phrasing it as a statement rather than a question.

"He just likes to meddle and try to fix things he perceives as broken."

"Well, it is broken. I just don't think I want it fixed. As long as Jeremy is dead, there is nothing between Elena and I but blood." Even as I spoke the words, I realized they were true. Where once I would never have considered speaking against her, I now understood that I'd spent years being her doormat. That was over.

"Don't think too badly of him. He just remembers that when he first met you, you would have died for her." It was hard to believe that so much had changed in only a year. When I first met and connected with Elijah, saving Elena was my only thought and my only concern. When Klaus and I got closer, I had begun resenting her, feeling second-tier, and thinking of completely changing my allegiances.

"That was a long time ago." I tightened my grip on the bag containing my dress. "I'm sure that one day, we'll both get over it but I don't know how to approach somebody who feels nothing whatsoever. I know that I keep my emotions in check for the most part but that's not even halfway to whatever Elena is doing."

"The switch fries after a while. In fact, at times, I even doubt its existence. Elena will not be this way forever and if I get my wish for the cure, Jeremy will be back with you."

"Do you really want every one of your enemies to return to the land of the living? If Silas dies and brings down the Other Side, you have to contend with a multitude of supernatural creatures that wish you dead."

"So you're the one who put the idea of giving Rebekah the cure in Elijah's head. I would have thought seeing Jeremy again and repairing your family would be more important to you than giving my petulant baby sister her chance at a whim." There was Klaus showing his true colors.

"The cure isn't mine to do with and even if it was, seeing Jeremy again at the expense of everyone's safety, including yours, just isn't worth it to me. You're not gonna convince me to change my mind. Even if you did, it wouldn't matter."

The front door opened behind me and I turned to see Elijah. Immediately, I felt the atmosphere change. Klaus is a lot of talk and incredibly reckless but it's very clear that Elijah holds most of the power. It's just that sometimes, he doesn't show it.

"Are you trying to persuade the jury, Klaus?" he asked, looking between the two of us.

"Oh, not at all. Vivian and I were just discussing prom," Klaus responded.

"Which I desperately need to get ready for," I said and excused myself. Call me a coward, say what you like. I just was not in the mood to witness another argument about the cure… or stand there with a million things going through my mind.

Rebekah had told me to take a bath and relax before even thinking about putting on the dress. "Bubbles, heat, listen to music," she'd said. She was under the impression that the thought of New Orleans was really stressing me out. She was right so I took her advice. I sank into the tub and closed my eyes.

Frankly, I don't think I was taking the thought of Tulane or New Orleans seriously. I knew it was coming and I was even preparing for it but I'm not sure I really believed I'd go through with it. The idea of leaving Mystic Falls was so intoxicating though and for some reason, I knew New Orleans was where I needed to be. It's as though I was fated to go there. So my fear of leaving Mystic Falls and its people behind was equally balanced with excitement for the same thing.

My main problem with everything was that I had finally been confronted with the romantic feelings I felt about Klaus and Elijah. I had to address them and soon. Otherwise, I would leave with nothing resolved and no clue of what could have happened one way or the other. Elijah would come to New Orleans but I doubted it would be a permanent arrangement and I'm not at all sure what Klaus's plans would be. Stay here with people that routinely try to kill him? Follow Rebekah on her trip around the world after graduation? Come to New Orleans with Elijah in order to subordinate whatever threat needs to be taken care of? Or do something else entirely?

I sank under the water for a second.

What exactly am I supposed to do? Organize a dinner and say, "I like you both and I'm really sorry about it?" What about, "I've never been in this position before and you two have so how did it end last time?" Here's a good one, "Are either of you actually serious about this or am I making it up in my head?" Maybe I should make a PowerPoint presentation detailing my many issues and utter confusion with the last slide being, "I cannot make a choice so both of you should just drop me."

Okay, that's not what the point of this bubble bath was supposed to be. Happy thoughts. Prom thoughts.

My phone started ringing on the edge of the tub and I grabbed it before it slid into the water. Damon, of course.

"Viv, what are you doing?" he asked.

"I was trying to have a relaxing bubble bath but I guess that's over," I responded.

"Oh please! You don't even know how to relax. You are so uptight and controlled that one day you're gonna lose it on everybody and kill us all."

"That's not true. I am not uptight."

"Okay then, tell me. Are you falling asleep in the bathtub like a normal person or are you stressing out over something?"

I groaned. "Fine. You're right. Is there a real reason you're calling?"

"I just wanted to go on and warn you that Silas will probably make an appearance tonight since Bonnie will be there."

"Well, I'm not sure how we're supposed to guard against someone who can look like anyone he wishes. He doesn't have an interest in me anyway. I'll just stick to you like glue."

"I just want you to be careful. Apparently, he's been appearing to Bonnie as Jeremy." I almost dropped my phone into the water. "Viv, are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be fine. If he's Jeremy, I'll know it's an illusion."

"But an illusion that you desperately want to see. He wants the cure pretty bad, Vivian, and he knows how close you are to it."

"Did I tell you he came to Klaus as me? I don't know what exactly happened but Klaus let him get close enough that he was stabbed with the white oak stake."

"I think he knows how to get to people. He knows everyone's weakness and he knows the person everyone is most likely to listen to." I knew what Damon was implying with that statement and it did not help me.

"Then I'll look out for Jeremy." I knew that appearing as Jeremy would loosen me up. It might even make me grovel. "Can I ask you for some advice?" I whispered.

"Things have got to be bad for you to be asking me for advice. What is it and why are you being quiet?"

"Could you keep your voice down?" I hissed. "I live in a house with vampires."

"Okay, okay," he whispered in response.

"Look, I know this may be strange for you to talk about, given the current state of things, but were you angry with Elena for… how she went about it with you and Stefan? Did you hate Katherine for it?"

"I hate Katherine for many, many reasons but her dual relationship with me and Stefan isn't one of them. At the time, we really didn't even know she was playing us. Now Elena, that's a different story. It was bad but I wouldn't say I got mad at her. Neither did Stefan. She hated the position she was in and she didn't hide it. She fought against her feelings for a long time… unless you believe it was all the sire bond."

"No, it wasn't all the sire bond. Don't think that for a second."

"Vivian, is this about what I think this is about?"

"Yeah," I responded. "Damon, tell me what I should do because I am at a loss. I don't want to be Katherine or Elena. I do not."

"Hey, Viv, let me tell you something. If they've made you feel like you need to make a firm, hard, permanent decision then they don't deserve you as an acquaintance, let alone their girlfriend."

"That's the thing about it. They haven't pressured me at all. In fact, there's been no conversation about anything but the cure for days. But it's there. I know it's there because it's just about all I can think about. I've got to do something before I leave or this will haunt me forever."

"Vivian, your responsibility in this is practically nil. They are grown men who are over a thousand years old. They've travelled the world together, dating and bedding women, probably some of them at the same time. You are almost nineteen and you've never been with anybody. I don't care that you're mature for your age and technically an adult. You're still a human and an inexperienced one at that. They're the ones who have been in this position before and they're the ones who decided to get into it again, same as me and Stefan. It's not Elena's fault and it's certainly not yours."

"How is it not my fault when I want them both?" I said, almost raising my voice. "And haven't you considered that the only reason you've come across Katherine and Elena is because they are the result of a curse Esther put on Klaus? They are exact replicas of the girl she sacrificed to bind his werewolf side; the girl that purportedly tore Klaus and Elijah's relationship apart. She was killed for loving them both."

"That happened centuries ago and we killed that bitch, Esther. Besides, I'm pretty sure that Tatia wasn't as clever as you are. She may have been a Katherine and she wanted them both no matter the cost but that's not you, Vivian. I know that when it came down to it, you would step back and take yourself out of it."

"Is that what I should do?"

"That's what I think you should do but you haven't listened to me thus far." I sighed. "Hear me out, Viv. You're going down to the French Quarter. There are plenty of guys there that would bend over backwards for your attention and I bet some of them are even human."

"Damon, you know that's not true. You know I've never had the options Caroline or Elena have had. Besides, I like Klaus. I like Elijah. I don't know that I can turn that off now."

"Well, let them know you're unsure of yourself and that whatever you decide may not be permanent. They'll understand because that's why they're attracted to you. That's why they haven't pressured you. You're nice, demure, and beautiful. They know you don't have a mean bone in your body. They will never think you're leading them on." I sank deeper into the water.

"I don't know. I just feel guilty."

"I'm just confused about how you could possibly even care about Klaus. The dude is crazy."

"He's not all that different from you," I responded. "At first, I didn't like him either. I was scared of him. But the more we talked and the more I saw him, the more he made me think of you."

"I don't see how that's even remotely a redeeming quality."

"Well, it means there's hope and it means that underneath it all, he's not as tough as he pretends to be."

"I just think if you're going to get with any of them, Elijah is the way to go. Sure, he's never around but if you ask me, that's a plus. He's pissed me off the least and he does actually like you. I still think Klaus is playing a huge joke on everybody to make us mad."

"I don't think so," I said. "I think they're both genuine. I just don't get it. You can have anybody in the world and you choose a girl who wears knee-length skirts and cardigans buttoned to the top."

"Or you choose a girl who's different than most nowadays. Beating yourself up doesn't help the situation. Now here's what you need to do. Write a pros and cons list about them. I'll start you off. Con: Elijah is never around."

"Yeah, that's true. He's missed all of these things that drew me to Klaus."

"Con: Klaus is more likely to kill you for making him angry." Also a possibility.

"Pro: Klaus and I really are friends at this point, I think."

"Are you sure that's not a con? Sometimes friends is all you're gonna be when you say it like that."

"No, it's more than friends. I can't describe it to you but we're not friends the way you and I are. It's a more subtle thing than how I've always felt for Elijah but it's there."

"I know this'll make me throw up but… how do you feel about Elijah? Put it in such simple terms that I don't even know what you're talking about." I laughed.

"He makes me feel like I'm being set on fire." I had never really thought about it in those terms before but it was true. Especially this week, where I've been forced to see him multiple times a day. It's been one of the factors in convincing me that my feelings about everything are totally real.

"Damn, that's a good sign. And your heartbeat skips around him occasionally, have you noticed that?"

"Apparently every vampire ever has noticed that." I groaned. "I don't know why I thought having this conversation would make me feel better."

"Okay, what about this? You obviously don't want to make a choice and that's understandable. They haven't put the heat on you to make one. That's another good sign. They're just as worried your decision as you are. I say, you go about it the same way you have been and never make a legitimate choice. If you feel like you need to do it before you leave, that's one thing. But it sounds like they'll both be down there with you."

"What do you mean 'both'? As far as I know, Elijah is only going temporarily to take out some witch that's threatening Klaus. On our way back from Pennsylvania, he said he didn't even want to tell Klaus about it because he knew he would overreact."

"Well, word on the street is that Katherine is the one who volunteered that information up to Elijah, just in case their deal fell through… and guess what happened? It fell through. She wants Klaus to follow that lead so whether Elijah tells him or not isn't gonna be an issue. She's going to let him know."

"And how do you know all this? I didn't know you and Katherine were on such good terms."

"We're not. She's just been chatty since coming back into town."

"Coming back into town? Are you kidding me?"

"Hey, you're about to leave all of this behind. Soon none of this will matter a lick to you. You'll be too busy getting drunk and eating bananas Foster." I laughed again.

"God, I hope so."

I got out of my bath not long after that, convinced that I didn't need to keep on beating myself up over this. If what Damon said was true, Mystic Falls would be losing more than just me. Klaus would officially be leaving town and I doubt he would ever be coming back. That took an immense amount of pressure off of me. If I didn't have to make the decision within a week, it's more likely that I'd make the right one at another time.

I folded my hair under to make it appear short, like I did for the decade dance then I slid into the dress and took a long look in the mirror. It was gorgeous and for once, I was inclined to believe that I genuinely was beautiful. Honestly, I didn't look like I was going to prom. I looked like I was going to some extravagant ball or party. I stood on my tiptoes to see how I would look once I found my heels and it was even better. The dress was flattering, elegant, and even a tiny bit sexy. I'm pretty sure it was the best I've ever looked in my whole life.

Once I finished gawking at myself in the mirror, I walked down the hallway into Elijah's room. Most of my stuff was still in there because there had been no point in moving it twice. Over the past few days, I've been trying to pack it all up for the trip to New Orleans.

I gathered my beaded skirt in hand and bent down, rummaging through a bag to find my shoes. There was a fairly high chance I hadn't brought them and that they'd burned with the rest of mine and Elena's things. Then I saw a flash of silver and I thanked my lucky stars. These were genuine "prom" shoes, silver and shimmery with little crystals down a t-strap, and they were exactly what I needed. I put them on and breathed a sigh of relief. I was ready for prom.

"Vivian, you look stunning." I turned towards the door suddenly, my hand pressed against my waist. It was Elijah.

"Oh, thank you," I replied, my hand still resting against my stomach.

"Klaus told me your dress was 'Gatsby' so I thought you might need something else." I realized then he was holding a box. It was old, worn by years of going untouched. "It's part of Klaus's collection, which I'm sure he's dipped into for you a time or two." I thought of the necklace laying in a velvet box at the bottom of my suitcase and gulped. Elijah slowly opened the box and pulled out what was inside. I saw a cream ribbon curl around his hand and the shimmer of something like diamonds. "It's a headband," he told me and at once, I saw that it was. A band of glittering clear stones and pearls was broken up by a small sparkling brooch, exactly like the ones you always see flappers wearing but more demure.

"You can't possibly be serious," I replied. "What if I lose it?"

"He has others." That was all it took. I agreed to wear it and he deftly tied it into my hair. I had to clasp my hands together to keep them from shaking. When he finished, he still kept close to me.

When I saw myself, I gaped. "This is absolutely beautiful and I don't deserve it but I am not going to question your generosity." Elijah broke into a smile.

"It suits you. You'll render Damon speechless." The thought of anything making Damon lose his voice was laughable.

"I don't believe that has ever happened and it definitely won't happen tonight."

"Well, Rebekah will do you that courtesy, I'm sure." Rebekah would be the only one likely to be 'rendered speechless'. I looked in the mirror one last time and admitted to myself that I may have achieved prom perfection. "You look beautiful, Vivian. I'll let you finish getting ready."

When he turned to leave, I said, "Elijah." He looked at me and there it was, exactly like I told Damon. I flushed, my palms started to sweat, and my heart pounded. "Thank you… for everything." I had been halfway to asking him to dance with me, even asking him to kiss me. I needed to sit down.

He smiled again. "You're welcome."

When he left, I had to wonder whether he was aware of what he did to me. I assume that there are a lot of girls who probably just see him on the street and sigh so he must be used to it. At any rate, mooning over Elijah has been my norm for almost the entire week. Our ride home from Pennsylvania had verged on awkward. I can't say it had been awkward back before the Originals ball but maybe it was a good sign, like Damon said. It probably meant more intense feelings on both sides. But is that really a good thing when I'm trying to sort out what I should do?

It's weird that my feelings for both Klaus and Elijah seemed to be on overdrive. I knew that being in close quarters with people had the possibility to do that but I honestly assumed that living with them would force me to come to a conclusion faster. All it has done has confuse me more.

Damon was true to his word and was there at 8pm. When he came into the house, I thought for a second Elijah might have been right; Damon may not say anything at all. But that is quickly remedied.

"You know, when I saw that huge charge on my bank account, I thought to myself, 'Would Vivian _really _spend that much of my money?'" he said. I winced. "But apparently you did and it happens to be the best money I've ever spent. Oh, my God, you look great." I laughed.

"Thank you! Rebekah and I spent hours trying to find this diamond in the rough," I replied, gesturing at the beaded gown.

"Look at this headband! Is that real? Are those _diamonds_?!" Damon went from looking at me as though I was gorgeous to looking behind me at Klaus, Elijah, and Rebekah. Rebekah was putting her finishing touches on and was dropping in to make sure Elijah believed she was keeping to her day as a human. "I hate you people."

"Damon!" I said, holding back a laugh.

"Come on, Vivian. I bet they're gonna crown you prom queen."

"You mean Caroline would let someone other than herself win that honor?"

I let Damon put on my corsage (probably filled with vervain) and then I got in a limo with him. I was about to say I didn't know everyone was going for a limo this year when I spotted Elena… wearing the dress I'd helped Caroline pick out days ago.

"Damon," I said thru gritted teeth.

"You said this wouldn't be a problem," he replied thru gritted teeth of his own.

"I said _looking _at her wouldn't be a problem. Not riding in the back of a limo with her and her ex-boyfriends."

"Um, I am not an ex-boyfriend and the sooner you make up, the better."

Elena was a bitch, to put it simply, but other than that, I was allowed to really enjoy my final high school dance. I danced with Damon and Matt and even went to the after-party (while Damon and Stefan vervained Elena and took her home after she tried to kill Bonnie).

When I got home, Klaus was still up. He asked me, "So how was it?"

"It went well," I replied. "The most eventful moment of the night is when Bonnie practically killed Elena with her expression magic and I almost said, 'Keep going!'" Klaus laughed at that, which made me feel ten times more relaxed about the whole thing. Strangely enough, Klaus was probably my closest friend other than Damon.

"Elena is truly insufferable like this but she'll change her tune soon enough." I nodded. Stefan and Damon were hoping to break through to her with pain. I couldn't say whether it would work. "Well, Vivian, I'm glad I caught you. I just got a letter from Katerina of all people. She passed along some information since I refused your and Elijah's pleas for her freedom. Seems some witches in New Orleans are plotting against me." That's exactly what Elijah had told me and it appears that Damon's prediction was correct; Klaus found out one way or another.

"Well, they're obviously foolish," I replied.

"Indeed, they are. In the next few days, Elijah and I are going to go on down. When will you be there?"

"In a little over a week. I have to leave immediately after graduation so it won't be long at all." The way I said it must have shown nerves.

"Are you excited or are you worried?"

"Maybe a little of both. I'll get over it." He smiled and I gave him one in return.

"Well, it'll be up to you to close up here. Rebekah may want the place once I've gone."

"Yeah, of course. Are you going to New Orleans for good?" I asked. I'm not sure what answer I wanted to hear.

"It's possible," he said with a smirk.

"Well, that's good news. You can show me around, just like you said you would."

"You can count on it."

I've always been glad we had that conversation. I clung to it for so long after that. It would be an unfortunate amount of time before I was back on good footing with Klaus so this was all I had.

The days leading up to New Orleans were action-packed. Elijah and Klaus left without much fanfare. Elena's emotions turned back on and I was so grateful that I nearly cried. The veil dropped for really only a matter of hours. Kol went after Elena, and by extension me, only to be thwarted by Jeremy. Jeremy, Jeremy, Jeremy. I have never experienced the relief I felt in that moment, seeing him. He was still handsome, still strong. I cried as though I was the one who had had my flip switched. And the day of graduation, it became permanent, thanks to Bonnie. Alaric disappeared in front of Damon and I's eyes but Jeremy stayed. Silas was stopped but Jeremy was okay. I cried again.

But I still had made a commitment. I was able to leave Mystic Falls on good terms with both of my siblings, the three of us back to the way it used to be. The morning after graduation, I closed the doors to the Originals mansion and threw my suitcases into Damon's car. It was time.

**Hey guys! So this chapter is sort of a bridge between TVD and The Originals. I'm sorry not too much happened! But next chapter will be jam-packed with the baby revelation (which you guys still don't know everything about). Are you ready for the Originals? Sad about leaving Mystic Falls? I'm going to be super sad to sort of let Damon go (he'll be keeping in touch over the phone) but I'm excited about people like Marcel! Are you excited? Because I am!**


	30. Chapter 30

**Hey! I'm sorry for the wait between updates. I thought this was a chapter I needed to really devote some time to so I hope you enjoy it. The big baby reveal is here and I'm guessing you all know what the outcome will be. I don't own anything but Vivian. Please tell me what you think!**

"So riddle me this," Damon began, taking a drink of the scotch in front of him. We were sitting in a bar called Rousseau's in New Orleans. "You and Bonnie were the ones clamoring for Jeremy to be brought back from the Other Side, yet literally the day after he returns to the land of the living, you two jet off on some trip."

"You know as well as I do that I didn't have a real choice," I responded, digging into the gumbo in front of me.

"Yes, you did. We both know you only took this scholarship because Jeremy was dead and Elena was a total bitch. Now, both have been remedied and yet, you're still here."

"And who volunteered to go on a 'best friends bonding road trip' with me?" He laughed and for a second, I saw everything that Elena sees in him.

"There won't be any more of those now that my best friend is living in the Quarter."

"Oh, come on, Damon. This isn't the end. Even if it was, you've had friends before me and you'll have friends after." And I'd come home in the summers and Christmas breaks.

"That's not necessarily true."

"Really? You've been on this earth for practically 200 years and you've only had me and Alaric as friends?"

"Well… there was this one guy but it was a very long time ago and we were friends due to circumstance more than anything else."

"And you did what you normally do; sabotage it." I caught a flash of guilt crossing Damon's face but it vanished almost immediately. Now I would be curious about who this guy was.

We were interrupted by the bartender before I could come up with a response. "How is everything?" she asked. She was pretty, even beautiful. Her nametag said, "Camille."

"The gumbo is amazing," I replied. She smiled as though she heard that all the time.

"Well, it _is _world famous." I saw her nod in the direction of the open kitchen towards the back and I saw another attractive girl. She looked over at us, knife in hand from chopping onions, and I began to feel uneasy. It was almost like she recognized us, knew us some way or another. Rather than focusing on Damon, which I would've expected from anyone, this girl was focused on me. That just struck me as odd. Damon was a vampire and if she sensed something off about him, I could understand that, but there was nothing overtly special about me. Still, Damon paid no mind. He put his money on the bar and got up to leave.

"Unfortunately, I should be heading back," he said. "There's all this mess with Katherine that needs to be settled and I haven't heard from Stefan yet. He's probably still sore about Elena choosing me over him." I had to admit, knowing I wasn't going to be in Mystic Falls for the next unspeakably horrible event in its history was quite a good feeling.

"Well, thanks for helping me move down here," I replied. Damon had helped me get settled and had also showed me around. I'd always had a good sense of direction so hopefully, I wouldn't get too lost.

"I can't believe you'll be living in some plantation house this summer. The history geek in you must be ecstatic." I truly was. Klaus and Elijah still held property down here, in particular, a plantation home that dated to the early 1800s. It was where they were staying while they took care of the witch problem and it was where I was going to stay for the duration of my summer classes. Tulane apparently had their dorms closed during the summer months. "But listen, if they hurt you or do anything to make you uncomfortable, let me know. I will be down here and white oak staking them before they have another thought."

"I believe you. And you said you'll come back down in about a month, right?"

"Right. Elena and Jeremy will come with me. We'll bring more of your stuff with us." I nodded and let Damon pull me close. For a moment, I thought I was going to cry in the middle of that bar. My fingers dug into his shoulders. This was it. This was the moment when I would have to let go of the life I'd previously been leading. And instead of the excitement I'd been feeling earlier, I was feeling fear. "Viv, let me offer you some advice." He made no move to let me go so I nodded against his shoulder. "Steer clear of the witches and be careful of Marcel Gerard."

"Who is that?" I asked, pulling away.

"All I know is he's in charge." I doubted Klaus would see it that way. "I've been in this city before and he was a force to be reckoned with. Just be careful."

"I'm always careful."

"Yeah, I know."

I walked Damon outside and we went our separate ways. I made myself take deep breaths. This was the first time I had ever been truly on my own. I was in an entirely different city with no one but two men that I knew had come to me originally for their own purposes. Only one of them did I consider a true friend and only one of them could I actually trust. They were not one and the same.

By a sheer stroke of luck, I found the admissions office at Tulane, clutching my acceptance letter. I stood in line patiently until I could be waited on. When I explained to the woman behind the counter that I was just curious about what I needed to do to be prepared for the summer classes (getting textbooks, getting a school email), I immediately knew something was wrong. I handed her my acceptance letter when she couldn't find my name in the system.

"There must be some mistake. I received this letter months and months ago," I told her. "I sent back my acceptance and then I was offered this summer class. It's all official." It's not like there had just been the two letters with my acceptance and summer class announcement. There had been genuine correspondence where dates, applications, and orientation had been talked about. All were things that could be verified by just going onto the school's website, which I had done repeatedly.

"Yes, it appears to be. This is the sort of letter we send," she concurred. "But I'm sorry, Ms. Gilbert, there is no record of you being awarded a scholarship or even being sent a letter encouraging you to apply here. Your name would be in the system as at least a candidate for the sort of money this says you were awarded."

"What are you saying?" I asked. I was beginning to panic. Damon was gone and there was no telling where Klaus or Elijah was. Who could I talk to that could settle this? Everyone had agreed that my acceptance was legitimate. This wasn't a matter of misreading or overplaying my hand. Everything about this had been real.

"I really am sorry, Ms. Gilbert, but you weren't actually accepted here. Normally I would say that this smacks of someone trying to play a terrible joke on you but frankly, these letters are the best forgeries I've ever seen. I can't say that I've ever seen anyone go to such extreme measures to trick a nice girl like you into believing they'd been given a full-ride to a major university. It just doesn't make any sense. Perhaps, there really is something wrong with the system. These are so authentic that it makes me think the mistake is with us. I'm going to check into this for you."

I waited while she checked everything and even had some of her colleagues look into my claim. They turned up nothing. All concurred that this was the biggest hoax they had ever seen. By the end of it, I was practically in tears. I was foolish to believe that something like this could ever happen to me and now I was totally up the creek. There was no time to apply at any college for the fall semester. Acceptances had already been sent out. More than that was the idea that someone had done this to me, had sabotaged my chances at being successful here. Who would go out of their way to create such genuine forgeries of a university this far away from Mystic Falls? New Orleans hadn't even been on my radar until I was given that scholarship. It's not as though Tulane was my dream school and I'd pursued them heavily. That would make some semblance of sense. But this just seems like someone honestly wanted to draw me down here. Just like someone had drawn down Klaus.

"I've never seen anything like this," the woman told me, interrupting my thoughts. "There has to be a mistake somewhere on the part of Tulane. While we try to figure that out in the coming weeks, I want you to apply for the fall semester. You'll get fair treatment because there was a problem somewhere along the line."

Applying for the fall semester wasn't much consolation, since now there was no proof that I was qualified enough to get in. I stuffed the application in my bag and walked outside. It was dark now, showing just how much those people in the admissions office had worked for me.

"Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry," I chanted to myself while dialing Damon's number. He would come get me or at least, have some idea as to why this might have happened. He didn't pick up so I quickly explained the situation to him in a voicemail. "The woman seemed to believe there was some hope I was overlooked but I honestly don't know what to think. Have you ever heard of this before?"

"Well, I've heard of what happened to you occurring a few other times." I quickly hung up the phone when I saw the girl who spoke, the cook from Rousseau's. Offhandedly, I didn't like her. I knew she hadn't been in the admissions office to witness the whole ordeal so she was clearly eavesdropping. But there was something else about her that I couldn't put my finger on. I wondered if Damon's warning about the witches had been in reference to her.

"What was the explanation those other times?" I questioned, deciding to play along. Her gaze dropped to the ring on my index finger. I've learned never to trust anyone who's interested in the Gilbert ring. They never want anything good.

"Magic," she responded.

"What?" I started to feel off-kilter, dizzy even.

"Feeling queasy?" she asked. I was. My head was pounding and then my vision went black. I fell forward, knees bending beneath my weight, and I was unconscious.

When I woke up, it was dark and my back was hurting. I groaned and felt someone help me sit up. "Elijah," I whispered when I saw who it was. He sat down on the bench beside me and looked at me. That's when I realized something was wrong.

"How are you feeling?" he asked. I remember him now being the only person to show me kindness that night, being the only one who treated me as though I had a say in the matter. Everyone else, even Klaus, had looked on me as a thing, as a pawn, as a piece of leverage to be tugged back and forth.

"I'm okay," I responded. "But what's going on? Where are we?"

"Lafayette Cemetery," said the cook from Rousseau's. Quite frankly, I hadn't realized she was there. Elijah acted like he was ignoring her.

"You kidnapped me," I accused. She only shrugged.

"I'm doing what needs to be done for the Quarter." Elijah made a noise of dissent beside me.

"What does that mean? Who are you?"

"Sophie Deveraux," she answered.

"You're one of the witches who drew Klaus here," I realized. The other was Jane-Anne, possibly Sophie's sister. Elijah must've pursued the lead for Klaus and it led him here. But what did I have to do with anything?

"Yes and the other is dead. Killed by Marcel for practicing magic." Marcel was the one Damon had warned me about. He was killing witches for practicing magic? I can see why Damon thought he was bad news.

"And you want Klaus down here to what? Kill this guy for you?" She nodded at me as though I was perceptive and I'd done something to impress her. "Then why am I here? You said you knew why my acceptance letters had been faked."

"Your acceptance letters weren't real?" questioned Elijah. Even to him, that appeared strange.

"Vivian was in the plan long before this recent bombshell," Sophie replied.

"What bombshell?" I asked. "If this is between you and Klaus, then what do I have to do with it?" I spent a long time accepting the fact that I was a little fish in a very big pond. There had never been much importance placed on me, other than the fact that I carried my sister's blood. But that had never been enough to involve me in something more important than placating Klaus.

"Vivian, this will be hard for you to believe or to even understand," Elijah began. "I doubted it myself at first."

"How about we wait until we have them both here so that we don't have to explain things twice?" Sophie suggested. Before I had the chance to question that, she said, "Speaking of, where's Klaus?"

"Well, I suppose I must go retrieve him," Elijah said. I stood up with him. He wouldn't leave me here with this witch unless it was completely safe, would he?

"Elijah, please, what's happening?" I asked. He stared down at me for a moment and I knew that whatever this was, was indeed a very big deal. I started feeling queasy.

"She'll explain it better than I can when I bring back Klaus." So this was something that had to do with Klaus and me? What could that be? At most, the witches could know that Klaus had a thing for me but that wouldn't be enough to get him to follow anyone's orders. "There's nothing to be afraid of. I'm not going to let her hurt you." Hurt me? Why would she even want to hurt me? Instead, I nodded at him. Elijah walked out of the gates at that. He seemed to think everything was going to be all right. I decided to believe him.

I understood that I wouldn't receive any answers until Klaus arrived at the mausoleum so I kept quiet. Sophie didn't have a place on her that she could stow the white oak stake or even a dagger, which would only be harmful to Elijah and was easily remedied. If what she said was correct, she would be killed for even attempting to perform a spell. So why was there concern about her hurting me? If she hurt me, any deal she could have with Klaus and Elijah would be null. But obviously, Elijah believed enough of what she said to let Sophie keep me here in a crypt. I wondered what was talked about while I was unconscious. No matter what I thought, evidently I was important to this endeavor so I needed to play it safe.

"Hard to believe" had been the words Elijah used. What exactly would be hard to believe that would involve me? If I'm to be honest, there's quite a lot that would be hard to believe. I'm a boring human girl who's innocent and modest in practically every aspect of her life. There were more than a few things that would be hard to believe coming from me.

My first day in New Orleans had been exactly what Damon had warned me of. Already I was tangled in some supernatural turf-war between the witches and the vampires. And it would be foolish of me to think that I was involved for any other reason than my connection to the Originals. Damon was right; this city was dangerous and it might just eat me alive.

I breathed a sigh of relief as Elijah and Klaus returned. This wasn't exactly the reunion with the Original brothers I had had in mind but I assumed it would do. Klaus was baffled and seemed almost irritated that he'd been brought out here. When he saw me, his expression changed from annoyance to anger. "What is this?" he demanded, gesturing at me and Sophie. I wanted to move toward Elijah and him but something told me to stay put.

"He's all yours," Elijah said to Sophie. I saw her smile in response.

"You know you're famous in this town?" she said to Klaus, walking in front of me. Klaus grinned. He liked to hear things like this. "Witches tell bedtime stories about the powerful vampire Klaus. We know Marcel was nothing but an orphaned street-rat until you made him what he is. And now, he's out of control." Marcel was Klaus's progeny? "He does what he wants. He kills who he wants. I'm gonna stop him… and you're gonna help me."

Klaus laughed and turned to Elijah. "This is why you brought me here?"

"Hear her out," he responded. "You both need to hear her out." I said nothing. Instead, I only became more nervous. Elijah gave me a look of confidence but it wasn't very reassuring.

"I don't need to hear her out." Klaus looked back to Sophie. "I assure you, love, there is not a thing on this earth that will matter enough for me to waste even thirty more seconds of my time. You have no claim on Vivian because you cannot perform magic without Marcel's retribution. Now we are leaving. Elijah, what madness is this?"

"Marcel may be able to keep us from practicing real magic in this town," Sophie said, "but as keepers of the balance, we still know when nature has cooked up something new. For example, I have a special gift of sensing when a girl is pregnant." She gestured at me and Klaus laughed again. I even laughed a little. I looked at Elijah in disbelief. That's what this was all about? Sophie and the rest of the witches were likely the ones to forge my acceptance to Tulane. They drew me and Klaus down here under false pretenses, because they wanted Marcel gone and Klaus was the only one powerful enough to do it. This "pregnancy" was being made up because the witches wanted a reason for Klaus to be on their side. They needed leverage. But you would think they would've come up with a more realistic story.

"I know you both think it is impossible," Elijah said. "I thought the same thing myself."

"Are you saying you believe this?" I asked.

"Come on, Elijah," Klaus interjected before turning back to Sophie. "That is literally the most preposterous thing I've ever heard! I understand trying to strike where you think it'll hurt but at least, say something remotely believable. Vivian and I have never been with each other and even if we had, vampires cannot procreate."

"But werewolves can. Magic made you a vampire but you were born a werewolf. You're the original hybrid, the first of your kind, turned by the blood she carries. That's a perfect union in terms of balance. This pregnancy is one of nature's loopholes." She was serious. This wasn't just a con she'd created to get the Originals to work with her. She genuinely thought this was real.

"There is no pregnancy," I said, trying to reassure myself as much as her. "You don't understand how absolutely impossible that is. I have _never _been with anyone before."

"Vivian," Elijah murmured with a shake of his head. This was as serious to him as it was to Sophie. Frankly, if he was convinced of it, that scared me. Elijah doesn't fall for tricks like this, does he?

"I think I'd remember if I decided to push my morals to the side and have a one night stand with someone." Klaus nodded, showing he had no memory of anything either.

"My sister gave her life to perform the spell she needed to confirm this pregnancy," Sophie said. "And it is very possible that you wouldn't remember a thing. Jane-Anne's spell confirmed something else; not only are you pregnant but you conceived under a fertility spell." I laughed.

"This gets crazier by the minute," I said. "A fertility spell? Who would be able to do something like that back in Mystic Falls? Better yet, who would stand to gain anything from some magical, mystical child?"

"There are many that stand to gain from Klaus's weakness and there is one who would want the possibility of another doppelganger more than anything else." There was another explanation as to why I was here. I was the only human left with doppelganger blood, wasn't I? That was enough for witches of any capacity to be involved. Doppelganger blood works wonders for all sorts of spells. Perhaps, they thought I was needed to take down Marcel.

"And who would that be? The doppelganger was there to break my curse," Klaus replied. "It is broken. There is no need for other doppelgangers." Except for creating more hybrids, which Klaus didn't seem interested in anymore.

"But there is," Elijah said. "Silas spawned doppelgangers himself and his love was the mirror image of Katerina, Elena, and Tatia." That's when it hit me that this indeed might be true. I covered my mouth with my hand. Silas had wanted Klaus to suffer, that had been plain. He'd even appeared to him in my form. There were things there that I hadn't understood but I had paid no mind in the midst of considering coming here. "He had witches on his side that could've performed the spell. The Bennett witch, Bonnie, could've done it when she was in the thralls of expression and been none the wiser."

"There's still no need to believe this," Klaus told me but his voice was faltering and I think he saw fear in my eyes. "Who's even heard of a fertility spell? We would've known it was being cast on us."

"Not necessarily," Sophie replied. "A fertility spell is rare but works. It has to be imbibed. It's hidden in food or drink. It's a hazy spell, makes your vision blur, makes a partner appear more sexually attractive, and lowers inhibitions. In many cases, the parties involved don't remember a thing and if they do, they likely think it was all a dream. The best thing I can compare it to is being drunk."

"Being drunk?" I questioned. My knees were about to give out from under me. "Oh, my God."

"Can either of you think of an occasion that fits that description?" Elijah asked. He was moving to stand by me and I knew that he believed the witch. He'd heard her proof and it had convinced him. If Elijah thought this was real, I ought to consider it.

I nodded at the same time as Klaus responded, "Yes."

"Any unfamiliar food?"

"The wine," Klaus and I replied simultaneously. "We drank the whole bottle," he said. He stared at me, seeing me in a totally different light. I understood in that moment that the dynamic had officially changed. He wasn't looking at me as though I was the sweet, innocent girl he'd courted. Instead he saw me as a trap, a terrible trick, bait that was dangled in front of him that he stupidly took. He was looking at me like I was already dead.

"No, no, no," I muttered. "I don't remember it. I don't remember anything. I thought it was a dream." But even as I spoke the words, I began recalling things. True, the entire ordeal had been hazy but there were images that were starkly clear. Clothes on the floor, paint on my cheek the next morning, hands in places they should not be. I gasped and sank down onto the bench behind me, hands covering my face. I felt Elijah's hand against my shoulder. "How could I do this?"

"I would never have done this," Klaus said angrily. "I wouldn't have done this, under a love spell or not."

"It's a _fertility _spell," Sophie stressed. "We don't like to call them that."

"Well, that's what it was, wasn't it? A thousands year old witch cast a spell on us to make us do things we would never normally do! Because I wouldn't do this. I wouldn't take advantage of her, human girl or not. And she does not want me," he responded with such conviction that I thought the room would fall down around us. Human girl?

"Fertility spells only work if the ones involved have feelings for each other." I shook my head in my hands.

"Oh, my God," I whispered. "I'm going to be sick."

"Not that unusual in a pregnancy," said Sophie. My hands clenched into fists and Elijah's grip on my shoulder tightened. Neither of us liked the witch, especially when she barely treated me as a real person. "Now listen. Because of Jane-Anne's sacrifice, the lives of this girl and her baby are now controlled by us. We can keep them safe or we can kill them." I stood up then, tried to tell myself to get a grip and hold it together for the longest amount of time possible. Elijah stepped halfway in front of me and Klaus only began to look angrier. "If you don't help us take down Marcel, so help me, Vivian won't live long enough to see her first maternity dress." At first, that threat didn't scare any of us. The Gilbert ring may eventually drive someone crazy but it would physically save their life no matter what. "This isn't an idle threat. Other people may not know about that ring on your finger but I do. You're not as low on the supernatural radar as you might think, Vivian. I know all about you and that ring that lets you cheat death won't protect you as well down here as you might think. There are ways of dismantling its magic." Whether the witches here were allowed to practice real magic or not, her threat had a tone of honesty. It was obvious that Klaus was taking it seriously but then his expression went blank. At that point, I don't know that either of us was taking it seriously, but looking back, I know it is the moment that Klaus decided having his child would be the death of me in some way or another. And thus, it is the moment that he shut me out.

"Enough of this. If you want Marcel dead, he's dead. I'll do it myself," replied Elijah. I let myself touch his jacket. I hoped it would keep me calm.

"No, we can't. Not yet. We have a clear plan that we need to follow and there are rules."

"How dare you command me, threaten me with what you perceive to be my weaknesses?" Klaus snarled. My hands started shaking and I honestly became scared. This was bigger than anything I had ever dreamed. "This is a trick, a pathetic deception. You want leverage so that I'll help you but you have woefully overestimated my desire for a family, especially one with this girl." I gasped again, feeling almost like I'd been slapped. Elijah appeared as though that angered him. "I won't listen to anymore lies. This is impossible."

"Niklaus," Elijah said forcefully, "listen, if you don't believe the proof that lies in front of you." Klaus turned towards me and Elijah reluctantly moved away. My hand fell from his back, unhappy to have given up such a shield. But Klaus didn't openly approach me and suddenly, I was sure he would never touch me again. His eyes widened after a few seconds and I instinctually put my hands to my stomach. There was something there. He'd heard it. Elijah even smiled, probably to reassure us that I wasn't going to be torn limb from limb. But even with hearing the proof and seeing me on the verge of tears, Klaus hardened towards me anyway.

"Kill the child and be done with it. It's a death sentence anyway," Klaus said. It was like I had been shot. I took a step back when I saw the way he looked at me. "What do I care?"

"Klaus, please," I whispered. "We're friends." Instead of responding to me, he turned and left. Where first the idea of the pregnancy had just scared and shocked me, I was now positive it was the worst thing to happen to me. If it ripped Klaus away from me, even due to his own insecurities and fears, it was not a good thing. I didn't even want a child. I had never considered children before in my life. But here I was, pregnant without a doubt, with no memory of having sex, alone save for Elijah.

"I'll fix this," Elijah pronounced. Then I thought, even if it was just me and Elijah in this, it would be okay. I have never been so sure that someone would help me as I have been of him.

"Good," Sophie responded. "You retrieve him but leave the girl with us." Other witches arrived at that exact moment, here to make sure I stayed put.

"No," I replied. "Please no." I couldn't be alone here, not with them. Elijah clearly didn't want to leave me behind but decided against fighting this arrangement.

He turned back to me, put his hands to my face and brushed at my cheeks. "He doesn't mean it. He's all talk. He's trying to cover up the fact that he's scared. I will bring him around."

"What if you can't?" I asked. I was going to cry, I knew I was going to have a breakdown.

"I'm going to take care of you," he replied. "Whatever his response, I will take care of you. I know this is a lot to take in but please, trust me." I nodded and he turned to leave. "Do not touch her," he demanded of every witch in the room. Sophie nodded in response. There wasn't much she could do. If I was meant to be leverage and Klaus refused me, she was left with nothing.

I watched Elijah leave and I sank back down onto the bench behind me. I used the palms of my hands to stave off tears that came anyway. Pregnant. Pregnant by Klaus. Pregnant due to some ridiculous spell that I'd never heard of. Pregnant because that maniac Silas wanted hope for another doppelganger child. Drawn here by a false acceptance letter sent by these witches before me, none of which seemed to pity me or understand the gravity of what they'd just told me.

"Marcel and his vampires are out of control. Something had to be done," Sophie explained to the witches, overpowering my self-pitying thoughts.

"And the solution is to bring in more vampires?" one called Agnes demanded.

"These aren't just any vampires, Agnes. They're the Originals."

"What makes you think you can control the hybrid? This girl is barely more than a child. Even when you just wanted to use her as leverage herself, the plan wouldn't have worked." That explains the acceptance letters. "Judging by his reaction to the pregnancy, she was never as important as you thought she was. She was used for her blood and she was seen as a conquest. If this were Elijah, you may have had a point but the hybrid doesn't care about anyone but himself." They spoke of me as if I wasn't there, just part of the décor. I only kept crying.

"Oh, I don't know how true that is." I looked up after drying my eyes to see Elijah standing in the doorway sans Klaus. He was holding a body. I wondered briefly how much time had passed.

"Is that Jane-Anne?" Sophie asked, almost touched.

"I retrieved her body from Marcel so that you can put her to rest." This was meant to placate her because he hadn't brought Klaus back. He placed the body on the ground near Sophie. I could tell the gesture had won her over.

"And where is Klaus?" Agnes asked. Elijah attempted a smile and I knew it was for me rather than them.

"I need more time."

"Do you see this, Sophie? You can't control Klaus."

"No, she can't. I'm not entirely certain that I can either but now that your coven has drawn his ire, I have a question. What prevents my brother from murdering you instead of cooperating?" The witches blocking me moved. Elijah looked on me with worry and pity. One of the witches grabbed my hand at the same time that Sophie slashed a pin across her palm. I winced when the cut bubbled up on my own hand. Elijah stepped forward in concern and the witch dropped my hand. We were linked.

"The spell my sister performed, the one that got her killed, it didn't just confirm everything about the pregnancy," said Sophie. "It linked me to Vivian. So anything that happens to me happens to her, which means her life is in my hands. There are ways of retrieving her ring and ways of undoing its power. Klaus may not care about his own child or a girl, who was apparently nothing more than a distraction, but it's very clear that they both mean something to you." Elijah showed no emotion but I knew it was true. "If I have to hurt Vivian, or worse, to ensure that I have your attention, I will." Elijah smiled ever so briefly.

"You would dare threaten an Original?"

"I have nothing to lose. You have until midnight to get Klaus to change his mind." Elijah and I exchanged a look and I understood that that wouldn't be enough time.

"They mean something to me, you are correct. Klaus will come around but we are going to need more time than that. Vivian and I can convince him but we can only do it together. Release her to me."

"If you have any naïve ideas about spiriting her away, out of town, Jane-Anne covered that too." It sounded like Jane-Anne did a lot in that spell that got her murdered.

"We will not leave the city. I give you my word. I have given you a gesture of good faith and you must give me one in return. Vivian does not belong with you. Let her come with me." Sophie was overpowered in this situation. The other witches saw no reason not to hand me over and I was grateful for it. Elijah was to become my only ally in this city for a while. I knew that even then.

"Please," I begged. "I won't run. I won't go anywhere. Just let me go with him." She begrudgingly nodded and that was all I needed. I tried to go over to him slowly, rather than run like I wished to do. Once beside Elijah, I thought that I might be strong enough to deal with it but I soon discovered that wasn't the case. Perhaps I was in shock.

We left quickly, my quaking fingers doing their best to staunch the bleeding from the small gash on my palm. "Am I really pregnant?" I whispered once outside the cemetery. Elijah gazed down at me and I knew that he felt sorry for me but mostly, I saw that he cared. He didn't seem disgusted with me or disappointed. Why I feared that reaction, I couldn't say.

"Yes, you are," he replied. "I can hear the heartbeat. It's faint but if I listen closely, I can hear it."

"This early? I haven't had any signs. I can barely be a month along." Even I knew it was rare to catch a pregnancy before something like a missed period. I was just completely blown away. If there had been any signs at all, it would've been easier to swallow. If I had real memories of being with Klaus, I would've believed immediately.

"You're right," he said, slowing his pace to walk beside me. "It's really a miracle."

"A miracle?" I choked out. Unfortunately, I had already begun to think of it as a curse.

"For now, I know it seems such a burden but maybe you'll come to see it as a gift."

"Klaus doesn't see it that way." I said it before I could think of the consequences. The idea that how Klaus viewed anything could influence me should be preposterous but I knew that why I was so distraught was because of his reaction. If he had held up, even acted like the idea was slightly thrilling to him, I might have handled it better. But I had seen it in the way he looked at me. Whatever we had was done, at least for the time being. I'm still not totally sure what it was. Guilt that I had been taken advantage of (just as he had). Anger that he had been manipulated and I played a part in that. Fear that he would become Mikael. Dread that the pregnancy would do me in before I could reach the second trimester.

"He'll come around. He doesn't like being told what to do and he doesn't like being manipulated. But I saw it in his eyes. When he heard the heartbeat, I saw him consider that he could be happy." I wondered what that comprised. Was that happiness going to include me without asking what I wanted? "I believe if we give him some time to accept this, if we give _you _some time to accept this, then it will turn out for the best." What was the best? What was his plan here? That we raise the child like Three's Company? Whatever, that didn't matter. Klaus was still angry.

"How much time?" I whispered. "Because I think it'll take a while for him to stop shutting me out." My voice almost cracked. _Hold it together, Vivian, _I told myself. But frankly, the emotions were written all over my face. I was hurt and there was no hiding it.

"I don't know why my brother does the things he does but when he is scared of his feelings for something, some_one, _he pushes them away." Elijah was staring straight ahead but he grabbed my hand with no trouble. "I know your friendship with him has been… tumultuous at times but certainly, it's been good. This is just another bump for him and another quirk of his for you to get used to. This pregnancy has made it very real for you both. I doubt he thought anything would ever come of his affection for you." Elijah dropped my hand quickly, as though he suddenly thought better of touching me.

"Well, I'm sorry for the way I've reacted. I suppose it might not be such a bad thing." If it doesn't rip me in two, ala _Breaking Dawn. _"It's just going to take me some time."

"No one can fault you for being scared or shocked. But other than that, how do you feel about being a mother?" That took me by surprise.

"I don't know. I've actually never given much thought to children. I figured that would be Elena's domain. And besides that, I feel a little young."

"You're an old soul," he responded. "I think you'll do just fine. Now I'm going to take you home, let you sleep for a while. Do you want me to call Damon for you?" It was strange that Damon had outranked Elena and Jeremy in terms of who should be alerted of the situation first.

"No, it should be me to tell him. Hopefully, I can convince him not to come and get himself killed trying to stake Klaus." Elijah's mouth curled into a smile. I found that I had been staring at him this whole time, this man who had been nothing short of a real knight in shining armor for me.

We reached the plantation house and Elijah escorted me upstairs to my room. He handed me my phone, said it had been ringing for hours. I was reminded of the time I undaggered Elijah and had given him my phone. The situation had been similar. He was so kind to me that at first, I forgot why he was doing all of this. Then it suddenly came back. I was pregnant. Pregnant by Klaus. Neither of us had any memory of the night it happened.

Elijah told me that I didn't have to tell Damon right away but given the amount of missed calls I had from him, I thought I should go on and do it. Elijah understood that. He reluctantly left the room and waited downstairs for Klaus, who had reluctantly agreed to come talk to him. He also wanted to get in touch with Rebekah, who had already started her European adventure with Matt.

Hands shaking, I dialed Damon's number. "Viv, what the hell is going on?!" Of course, he answered on the first ring. "Your acceptance wasn't real? Damn, I knew that was too good to be true. I'll be back tomorrow."

"Damon," I choked out.

"Oh, Viv, it's okay. I know it's bad but seriously, a faked college letter isn't the worst thing we've had to deal with."

"I have to tell you something. Are you alone?" Damon hesitated.

"Yeah, I'm alone. No Elena or Jeremy in sight. Now, are you okay?"

"I guess so," I muttered. "Are you sitting down?"

"Vivian, what the hell is going on?"

"I think you should sit down."

"Okay, done." There was worry in his voice. Genuine, actual worry for my life. I tried not to start crying again.

"Please don't yell at me. Don't be mad." That was an impossible request but I asked it anyway.

"I'm not making any promises. I swear to God, if either of them has laid a hand on you-"

"Just wait," I replied. Then I explained everything. It all poured out. I was virtually sobbing by the end of it and Damon was only silent. Then I thought I heard him sarcastically laugh.

"Pregnant?! I will kill that son of a bitch and if he takes me down with him, so be it. He will die for this." I heard the door finally open downstairs but no discussion started. They were probably eavesdropping. They are vampires, after all.

"Don't be foolish," I warned. "I know it's hard to believe. I don't really buy it myself yet. Maybe I'm in shock. You know, I've been in shock before and it felt remarkably like this."

"Are you telling me that you were raped?" he asked drily. He was about to lose it. I could hear it in his voice.

"Oh, my God, Damon, no! Haven't you been listening?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, what would you like me to call it? Roofied? Drugged?"

"We were under a _spell._"

"That's a little convenient for him, don't you think? A spell that literally no one has ever heard of? It sounds an awful lot like he got you drunk and did what he's always wanted to do. Then he was smart enough to cover his tracks. He _Rosemary's Baby-_ed you. Now you are carrying some devil child that may kill you." I sucked in a breath to keep from crying.

"That is not what happened!"

"How would you know, Vivian? How would you know?!"

"Because he's angry! He turned his back on me with those witches. He would have let them kill me. I saw it."

"I doubt that. Klaus is crazy but recently, he's never done anything to put you in jeopardy. I was starting to believe he really was genuine with you."

"You didn't see the way he looked at me." I would never forget it. As though I was one foot in the grave and he was likely to push the second in. "I can't explain it. It's almost like he thought I had something to do with it. He's turned on me." Damon sighed as though he couldn't stand it that I was upset.

"He's scared, isn't he?"

"Yeah, but so am I."

"Look, Viv, you gotta understand. No matter what anyone else says, you're a strong girl. So you don't kill people or rip their hearts out for disappointing you, so what? Maybe that makes you better than vampires like me. You stand up for yourself and the people you care about and when you know something's wrong, you don't go along with it. So you're much stronger than people give you credit for. Klaus isn't. He's not like you. He's all bark and bite but nothing underneath. The idea of real life terrifies him."

"I don't know why but I thought, maybe, this was something he wanted."

"I bet he does and he just doesn't want to admit it. But think it through. If it's like what you told me and not what I suspect it was, he was fooled. It's one thing for a human girl to fall under a spell but an immortal guy who's been around a millennium? It should've been harder to trick him and he knows it. He fell for it because he got something he wanted out of the deal and now he realizes that's what made him weak." Sometimes, Damon was a real voice of reason. "If he's pushing you away, it's not going to be permanent and even if it is, you'll be better off for it. Besides, it's not going to matter anyway. I'm coming to get you tomorrow. You'll be much safer here, away from all that crazy mess, and we'll work through the pregnancy together. The ironic thing is, we've killed Silas. It's not likely that he'll be anyone's problem ever again."

"I appreciate the sentiment but don't bother. I can't leave the city limits. I'm also linked to the witch who's blackmailing us." He groaned.

"Damn, I hate that spell. Well, if I'm actually being honest, you're probably safest right where you are because you're with Elijah. Even though it hurts my pride to say it, I can't offer you the protection he can what with Stefan on some road trip and Bonnie out of town. And at the end of the day," he begrudgingly started, "his feelings for you have always been real. He can be counted on to do what it takes to look after you. I may not trust the guy but you always have. Klaus or not, Elijah won't let those witches hurt you."

"I agree. I trust Elijah and I care for him. At least, I have one person here I can count on."

"And you know what, this entire situation has just confirmed things that I always thought about Klaus. He's a coward if he's not gonna own up to this. If he's guilty, scared for your life, or whatever excuse he's going to come up with, he owes it to you to man up. If he hasn't come around by the end of the week then I'll know that what Stefan and I have believed for a long time is true. He's never really cared about you. It's all about blood and one-upping Elijah."

"Damon, please, I'm already upset. I don't need your conspiracy theories to make me more so." But he kept going. He was angry and he needed to vent.

"Come on, think about it. Klaus has known from the moment he met you that Elijah cared. What was it you told me? That Elijah lied about you to him, tried to protect you from him? Well, Klaus knew that from the moment he laid eyes on you. And I'm betting it became a sort of competition. We were just talking about it before prom! They've probably been with the same girl hundreds of times! Just like me and Stefan, the Originals have issues with romantic relationships." I heard an argument burst out downstairs but I couldn't make it out.

"Look, I can count numerous times today where I was labelled a 'conquest' and I don't want to hear it anymore. I called you to let you know I wasn't dead or in immediate danger, for the time being. I also thought that when I talked to you that you would put to rest ideas that I'm somebody's hope for salvation and redemption or that this isn't a tragedy."

"I'm just worried about you." It was such a genuine statement that I started crying all over again.

"I'm scared, Damon. I'm really scared." I was in a strange city with literally one friend and I was pregnant with a child that I legitimately feared could kill me.

"Viv, I know this is bad but I need you to be strong for me. Now I'm gonna tell you something that you don't wanna hear. I know that you thought of Klaus as a friend, weird as that is, but if that's over, just accept that you made a mistake. Move on. Stick close to Elijah. He's your only hope in that godforsaken city. And when you finally get these spells broken, I'm coming for you. I don't care what they want."

"Okay," I responded. "When you come down next month, please don't bring Jeremy and Elena. Don't let them see me like this." A virtual prisoner who had fallen for every trick in the book.

"All right but you can't hide this from them forever. They'll at least expect to see you at Christmas."

"I know but I've gotta think of the right way to explain this to them."

"Okay. Let me know when you're ready. Now, Vivian, you are going to survive this. Don't let anyone get in your head and make you think you're too weak or this child will rip you apart. We don't know any of that and I'm gonna stop jumping to conclusions. You hold it together and I will see you soon." We hung up and I laid back on the bed unable to avoid hearing the yelling between Klaus and Elijah.

"It's a chance. It's _our _chance to start over, take back everything we lost, everything that was taken from us," Elijah said. "Niklaus, our own parents came to despise us. Our family was ruined, we were ruined. And since then, all that we have ever wanted, all that _you _have ever wanted, despite your claims to the contrary, was a family."

"I will not be manipulated by these witches," Klaus responded.

"So they're manipulating you, so what? With them, Vivian and this child, _your _child, live."

"What does this child offer me, other than Vivian's inevitable death? Will it guarantee me power?" My hands gripped the comforter. _Keep it together, Vivian, _I thought. _Don't lose it. _But I ended up burying my face in the pillows and crying anyway. Maybe I just needed to get it out.

"Family is power, Niklaus. Love, loyalty, it's power. Vivian has offered that to you, to us, multiple times. This is what we swore to one another 1000 years ago before life tore away what little humanity you had left, before ego, before anger, before paranoia created in this person before me someone I can barely even recognize as my own brother. This is us, the Original family, and regardless of the way you push away everything you love, Vivian is a member of it now and you will not continue treating her this way. There is no guilt or blame for you to take on. This was magic."

"Oh, is that what we're calling rape now? Is that why I can hear her crying and Damon baying for blood? Beyond all that, I care nothing for her. That was always you. At least it'll be easier for me to deal with the witches slaughtering her or that monster of a child tearing her apart." I gasped.

"Does the life of this girl mean so little to you, Niklaus?" Elijah demanded. "A girl that has gone out of her way to befriend you, the only person willing to give you more than one chance. She has stood by you, cared for you, never listened to a word about you the others tried to tell her. She has turned a blind eye to the atrocities you commit because she likes you despite that. And do not presume to lie to me or the witches about how you care for her. You love that girl, Niklaus. You have done everything in your power to woo her or convince her to be on your side. How many times have you bragged about saving her from certain death, death she would've awoken from anyway? You may not care about the child she's carrying but you do care about her."

"How would you know any of this? You weren't there," he accused.

"Perhaps, that is true but one need only pay attention to see how good an influence her friendship has been on you. Your fear of losing her to this is making you shut her out and she's hurting for it. This pregnancy is not a death sentence, not if you save her. You're not walking away from this."

"I would think you would be ecstatic about this. I remove myself from the equation and you and Vivian live a happy little life together, the two of you in your stuffy suits and demure dresses. Rebekah would even gladly play nanny for you. I can see it now, my child calling you 'Father.'"

"Oh, is that what this is all about? You're scared Vivian will lose her life, true enough, but your real fear is of turning into Mikael." There was silence at that. "What makes you think we can't stop that from happening? Vivian is certainly not our mother. The two of us, along with Rebekah, can help you. As he was so quick to remind you, you are not Mikael's son and therefore, you are not heir to Mikael's temper and abuse."

"I hardly see how that matters. That baby will never be born. Vivian will be dead for good long before that time." I heard a crash. Elijah had struck him a blow.

"I'm not going to let this go," Elijah said, "even if I have to spend eternity saving you from your own stubborn, petulant, vile self. If I have to beat you as Father beat you to remind you of your own humanity, to care about anything."

"You're beyond pathetic, Elijah. You and Vivian both." I heard another clang.

"Who's more pathetic… the one who sees hope to make his family whole again or the coward, who can only see the world through his own fear?" There was a huge bang and I finally jumped off the bed and ran to open the bedroom door. "You would _dagger _me now? Now of all times?" There was a clang, hopefully the sound of a dagger hitting the floor. "You would leave that girl with no ally but yourself? You're too scared to look her in the eye. Why did you even agree to talk about the child? Is it power? You want to beat Marcel at his own game because he had the audacity to take care of a city we fled from? You want what he has; to be king of the Quarter. And there lies the only reason you would begrudgingly admit you want the child. You want an heir." And a queen.

"And why is that so wrong?"

"It's not, not if it means you accept this. Beyond power, this child could offer you something you've never believed you had; the unconditional love of family." I could hear in Elijah's tone that this would win Klaus over, at least temporarily.

"Tell Sophie Deveraux we have a deal."

**So we are officially in New Orleans, Vivian has a bun in the oven and a lot of drama to deal with. Excited about the baby? I know this is something most of us agreed on, that Hayley having it wouldn't make much sense. Anything you guys are especially looking forward to? I'm excited about people like Marcel and Jackson.**


	31. Chapter 31

**Sorry for the super short chapter! I just felt like there needed to be a break between this chapter and the next. I hope you enjoy it! This one is still kind of angsty. We've gotta have some of that before the action really starts! **

The first couple of weeks revolved around me coming to terms with the fact that I was indeed pregnant. I spent a lot of time those early days staring at myself in the mirror, trying to see if I could tell an outward difference already. Instead, I was faced with the same reflection I'd seen daily in Mystic Falls. Maybe she had dark circles under her brown eyes and maybe her skin seemed a little paler. Still, I didn't see a magical transformation from girl to woman. I began to think that what Kol had told me with such malice must be true; that I was a girl in completely over her head.

Elijah and I went out into town only a couple of times because it was hard to avoid the suspicious or judging looks people gave us. I didn't understand that New Orleans was almost entirely a community of supernaturals and news travelled fast among them. Even the humans in the city were in on it. Things were whispered behind hands, as though they were scared of Elijah and I hearing them. "_That's _the girl the Originals are enthralled with?!" I heard once. Other comments were made as though people were frightened of me and the unnamed power I held with Klaus and Elijah. But mostly, I saw looks of wariness. Even the witches I'd seen in the cemetery on my first night here barely looked me in the eyes, scared of what they might see. Were they frightened I would whisper in Elijah's ear and he'd knock their head off their shoulders? Did they think everything about me was a well-cultivated act? That I was playing possum, that I was not at all what I seemed? I've come to believe that must be it because I've often wondered it myself; what did a girl like me do to catch the attention of the Originals?

In Mystic Falls, I'd spent such a long time being tugged back and forth, debating who I agreed with. Do I side with people I've known all my life, friends I've had for years or do I stand with the Originals? It had been hard on my relationships with everyone at home, I know that. But here, in New Orleans, I'm confident I will never be put in that position again. I am staunchly with the Originals and everyone in town knows it.

Whatever the case, Elijah decided it was best to keep me out of sight for the time being. It occurred to him, almost as an afterthought, that flaunting me in the Quarter was practically asking Marcel to come out and play. It was common knowledge among the witches that I was carrying Klaus's child but the vampires and wolves (who were cast out years ago) didn't know. Elijah explained to me once that every supernatural faction will feel a level of responsibility or need for my child. It would contain elements of each, whether they eventually manifest or not. So for the time being, keeping my condition a secret, if not my presence in the city, would be the smartest thing to do. Elijah promised it wouldn't last long. I could tell he was anxiously awaiting Rebekah's return because without being able to rely on Klaus, the situation was more precarious.

I didn't look on the plantation house as a prison, even though Damon constantly assured me it was one. "For your safety or not, they can't just cage you up like a bird!" he exclaimed. It was clearly bugging Damon that he had to keep it all a secret but I assumed it was for the best. Jeremy and Elena could know when it was safer for them to rush down here and coddle me. Besides, if they knew, it would make it even more real than it already is and frankly, I am still scared. Understanding what happened and that I am pregnant was one thing but accepting it has been another. I think Klaus has had the same problem.

My only confrontation with Klaus came during my third week at the plantation home. Other times, if I saw him at all, he slyly avoided me, went in a different direction, or completely turned around and walked away. Since the moment I officially met him, in the hallway of Mystic High, Klaus has been a practical constant. This period of avoidance has been the longest amount of time I've gone without speaking to him. I know that it wasn't just Klaus skillfully evading me when he heard my footsteps in the hallway. It was partially my fault for not actively seeking him out. But I was constantly torn on what I'd say other than possibly cry and I was so tired of crying.

He was standing in the little living room of the house, seemingly still trying to rearrange the furniture. I knew he'd heard me coming, wearing flats or not. He'd chosen to finally face me.

"Klaus," I said, pushing a dark curl behind my ear. I was so shocked he hadn't run from me.

"Vivian," he responded quite forcefully. "I was just getting ready to leave." He turned toward me but didn't seem to really be looking at me. Maybe he'd told himself he was ready to speak with me but found that when the time came, he still couldn't. I decided to not pressure him.

"Oh, okay." I told myself to not let this opportunity pass me by, not to meekly step aside and let him leave me here feeling like a fool. Klaus pushing me away had easily been the worst part about this and if I didn't say something now, I could curse myself to being miserable a lot longer.

I took a step to the left when Klaus began to walk by. I barely looked at him and he barely looked at me. He had reached the front door before I whispered, "Please don't shut me out." The door didn't open so I turned. Klaus gazed downward, as though he was afraid to meet my gaze. I suddenly remembered his horrid conversation with Elijah the first day, when Elijah had accused him of loving me. Did that ring true or were Damon's accusations more accurate? Would I ever know? Did I want to know, if this is how it was going to be? "Please don't undo our friendship over something like this." He was going to turn away, I could tell so I kept talking. "We've worked so hard to get to this place. You have especially. And if it's ruined by this, I don't know that it can ever be the same." Frankly, I believe Klaus knew that and it was partially why he was avoiding me. There was something to the fear of me clinging to Elijah, of going through the pregnancy with just him by my side. Klaus could see that future while I wasn't sure that I could.

"How could it?" Klaus asked. "Did you expect me to be so happy that I'd go and buy a crib for this child you were drugged to beget? Because if you did, then you don't know me very well."

"We were both drugged," I corrected. "We were under a spell. The witches carry all the blame. Neither you nor I bare any responsibility. It was magic." It was easy to see why Klaus would be hung up on the spell. I was stuck on it as well, trying to remember more details, trying to understand what happened, but never coming up with much of anything.

"Magic that has now effectively put us both under the thumb of those witches. It's-" He cut off, seemed to think better of having a genuine conversation with me.

"Klaus, I will beg you," I implored. "This doesn't help either of us. I know you're scared because I'm absolutely terrified but we should do this together. If it's going to kill me, it will but it could be absolutely normal. What if the witches let up and it's just a baby?" Elijah has warned me that it will never be "just a baby," which is why he wants constant protection for me, but Klaus doesn't need to know that.

Klaus made a show of looking around, as though he was going to be late. "I want you to be safe, Vivian." My heart almost jumped into my throat. Was I breaking down his wall just a little? Please, let that be so. "Stay close to Elijah." I stayed where I was as he walked out the door.

This man had saved my life countless times, particularly considering what happened with Ric. I don't care what it was borne of, be it jealousy or competition, but Klaus had true affection for me. I had seen it. There was comfort to be taken from the fact that the spell would supposedly only work on those who already had feelings for each other but it was small consolation considering the circumstances. Maybe this was the beginning of him warming up to me again. Whatever the case, I would take his advice and stay close to Elijah.

While Klaus stayed distant, Elijah also appeared to not want to be too close to me. I understand now that perhaps, he thought he should stand back since I was carrying his brother's child. Everyone, even Damon, agreed that it was a messy situation all around and it would require us to tiptoe around certain issues. Under a spell or not (a spell that would never have worked had we not had feelings for each other), Klaus and I had been together. That meant we had to evaluate the circumstances. To me, it only added more confusion, if not a nice reassurance that there was more than friendship lingering between me and Klaus. To Elijah, it could have meant anything. It could have meant that, if Klaus was willing, I would've chosen him and raised the child with him, effectively shutting out Elijah. It could have meant that I equally cared for Klaus and him both. Whatever meaning he decided on, Elijah clearly thought it meant he shouldn't openly do anything about it.

Still, if I did anything like sneeze, it required an extensive explanation of how I was feeling. Elijah was worried about me, that was obvious, and I found that I wanted to be around him all the time. He was comforting about it all, not stressing about the situation with Marcel, Klaus, or the witches in front of me. In fact, all he did was effectively put me at ease about everything. Once the initial shock of the pregnancy wore off, I became less concerned that the child would kill me and more concerned about getting Klaus back as a friend. Elijah, whether he tried to be unabashedly just a friend or not, played a large part in soothing my fears.

Damon came a month later without Jeremy and Elena, just as he promised. Elijah gave me space but Klaus looked on as Damon tentatively placed a hand to my lower abdomen and grinned at me. I laughed and Damon took me into his arms. "You're naming the kid after me, right?"

"And curse it to a life of sarcasm and big blue eyes?" I responded.

"Oh, Vivian Gilbert, have you been checking me out? Those pregnancy hormones already working on you?" I laughed again, my face red, and Klaus groaned before leaving. "Are you hot? Sit down."

"No, Damon, I'm fine." He ignored that.

"Hey, why haven't either of you fixed the damn air conditioning?" he yelled. "This girl is _pregnant_! Her body temperature is high!"

That was only a small indication of what was to come. Damon spent his time in town worrying over me, just as Elijah did. When I began to show the telltale signs of morning sickness (in the middle of dinner with Elijah and Damon with Klaus looking on, no less), Damon stayed with me. While one of the witches came by to check my vitals and make sure I was doing all right, Damon and Elijah stood stoically in the back of the room, ready to snap her neck if she hurt me. I was careful to not even wince when she drew my blood. Truly, I think if Elena had been here, Damon might've long outstayed his welcome. I was thankful that Damon tried to reign in his anger. Frankly, there wasn't much for him to be mad at Elijah about, which probably only fueled Damon's rage. But Klaus's presence was what pushed him over the edge.

Damon was aware that Klaus and I had never gone back to good terms. Sure, it was a little better but the most I could say for Klaus was that he would occasionally stand back and observe me. When I was sick and would lay in bed, I sometimes saw him linger outside my door. It was good enough for me at the time but it would never be good enough for Damon. When I woke up the morning Damon was supposed to leave, he was yelling. I distinctly heard the words, "Grow a pair," as I walked down the stairs, still in my nightgown. "I'll get one of those witches to undue this spell, I promise you, and when that happens, Vivian is coming home with me!" Damon declared.

"I don't think so, mate," Klaus replied. "It's not _your _child." Klaus said that in a way that straddled being grateful it wasn't and assuming Damon wished it was.

Damon went at Klaus then, doing his best to wrap his hands around his throat. Elijah prevented him from getting any further. Klaus only smirked. "Damon, if you do not calm down, I will throw you out of this house, regardless of Vivian's good will towards you," Elijah told him. He let go of Damon, who proceeded to straighten his shirt.

"I doubt that!" Damon was beyond the point of fury now and I only stared at him wide-eyed. "I know her better than either of you and if you want to keep her happy and make sure she doesn't hate you, like I do, you're gonna let me stay a part of her life. Both of you know that she'd be happier away from this hellacious city with her family, which, frankly, includes me! I'm gonna tell you what you're gonna do until _somebody_ does something to break this spell and you better listen. You let Viv do whatever she wants, starting with taking the bars off this antiques museum and letting her out of the house. And I don't care how old you are or how much pride you have but that girl is gonna become your top priority!" He pointed to me for effect, revealing that they all knew I'd joined the conversation. "You will wait on her hand and foot. I better not hear about people kidnapping her, threatening her, or plucking a hair off her head, especially you, Klaus." Klaus's grin dropped from his face, as though Damon saying this was so far across the line that it could end up with his heart in Klaus's hand. Elijah moved closer to me. "I don't know why Vivian endured you in Mystic Falls and why she suffers now but you better make it right or I'll-"

"Damon," I hissed through my teeth, worried that he might make things worse than they already are. I wanted to say many things but I settled on, "You cannot threaten them." Elijah, I wasn't worried about and I doubt Damon was either. He'd always understood the bond between me and Damon. But Klaus, who'd always viewed Damon as an annoyance to put up with for mine and Stefan's sake, had no reason to spare him when he was on the outs with us both. Challenging Klaus and telling him what to do had been what created most of this situation in the first place.

Damon's blue eyes glittered when his gaze turned on me. For a moment, all I saw was that he cared for me deeply and clearly thought he was doing this with my best interests in mind; that he was saying things on my behalf that desperately needed to be said. He was going to start up all over again and I shook my head at him, a pleading look in my eyes. Elijah and Klaus looked between us quickly, wondering whether I'd be enough to keep Damon at bay. Luckily I was.

Maybe that was the only power I would ever have; reigning in dangerous vampires.

Damon pushed past me, ready to leave. I met Elijah's eyes but didn't meet Klaus's. "I'm sorry," I said. "He doesn't understand everything you've done for me." I mostly meant that for Elijah, who hadn't been the object of Damon's rage anyway, but Klaus could take it too. I turned and followed Damon out.

Before he left, Damon leaned against his car and groaned. "Please don't give me a lecture when all I'm trying to do is look out for you," he said.

"I wasn't going to give you one," I replied. "But I am a guest in their house."

"You mean a prisoner. I can't believe Elijah let you walk out here to tell me goodbye."

"It's for my safety, Damon. You've done the same thing for Elena multiple times." I can clearly remember the day he had Bonnie spell our house so that Elena couldn't pass the threshold.

"That's different."

"Is it?" He groaned once again.

"You know, Vivian, you can't just sit around here and let them do whatever they want and tell you what to do."

"Yes, I can. They know this city and they know the people here. What they tell me is literally all I have to go on."

"You mean what Elijah tells you."

"Damon, what the hell has changed since I first told you all about this? At the time, you were all, 'Stick with Elijah, he's your only hope,' and now you're angry that I've done just that?"

"Look, he's not the problem. What is going on with Klaus is tearing you up and it's making me mad. It's long past the time he should've gotten over his pride and come back begging for your forgiveness. You're like his only friend. Instead, he's trying to take over the town and become king. I always thought he was nuts but this takes the cake!"

"I'm not saying you're wrong but the situation is already precarious. I tried approaching him and he just clammed up. Standing in the same room as me is progress. I assume Elijah's been saying much the same things as you to him. I just feared that you would make it worse."

"Well, my sheer presence here seemed to annoy him probably because he's jealous." I scoffed. "I'm serious. There's a lot to be jealous of. I'm good looking, funny, and best of all, I've always had your favor. No matter what, you like me." There was an element of competition to the energy between Damon and Klaus and maybe there always had been. But it seemed as if that was something that was just beginning.

"I wouldn't say, 'no matter what.'" I had love for Damon and I know he must've had love for me.

"Keep telling yourself that." He pulled me towards him, placing his fingers in my hair. "I've read once you get past the morning sickness, it's a nice ride. Except for the cravings and the sex hormones."

"Please stop talking about those," I murmured with a laugh. "Are you telling me you've been reading up on pregnancy?"

"Ehh, maybe." He pulled away from me and I felt my heart sink. I knew what was coming next. "You've gotta tell Jeremy and Elena soon. I tried every excuse in the book to keep them from coming down here with me. I think they knew something was up."

"Yeah, I'll be thinking on it." Damon drove away after promising that he'd return again soon enough. Once he left, the house seemed a little calmer. Klaus went out to schmooze with Marcel and Elijah and I spent more time alone.

Around the time of my birthday, Rebekah finally returned from her European tour with Matt. She drove up in her cute red convertible, threw open the doors, and set huge shopping bags in front of me. They were filled with maternity clothing, all in pretty pastels and lace. "We can't have you looking unfashionable, can we?" she asked. It's one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me.

"So Klaus is trying to dismantle Marcel's empire piece-by-piece by being friends with him?" Rebekah wondered aloud, fixing herself a drink. She started to pour me one but then thought better of it.

"Frankly, I don't know what's going on there. He's told me nothing and Elijah seems to think that knowing anything about it will stress me out even further," I replied. I assumed that Elijah had told Rebekah everything he knew about what was happening with Klaus, including the fact that he was shutting me out.

"Well, I don't think so," she declared. "You're down here, you're living with us, and you might as well know what's happening. You haven't had decent peace of mind since my brothers walked into your life and you certainly won't get it in New Orleans." I appreciated that.

"Well, then who exactly is Marcel to your family? I know Klaus made him." She made a face, one that revealed to me that she cared for Marcel romantically. "And I assume Klaus is not the only one with a history with him." She smiled.

"Well, he was different than just other vampires we made. Klaus loved him like a son. He saw himself in him." She explained their backstory to me quickly enough, both the bastard son of a man who saw them as nothing more than a beast. "I'm guessing that this plan the witches have orchestrated around you both won't work. They've just put two best friends back together, whether Klaus wants what Marcel has or not. It doesn't appear like Elijah's doing his best to stand between them either, which might be the only thing that would help."

"The first night here, I heard Klaus try to dagger Elijah, for whatever reason. I assume he doesn't want to get too close." I didn't explain that that might be for my benefit, that Elijah wants to make sure I'm taken care of.

Rebekah groaned and rolled her eyes. "Typical Nik! He knew he and Elijah were your only friends so he wanted to make sure you just had him to turn to." She laughed. "I swear, I hate that backstabbing wanker. Honestly, I'm surprised that Damon hasn't come down here, ripping the heads off of witches until they reverse this spell on you."

"That's what he wants to do. He just doesn't know how to go about it."

"He'll realize soon enough that, Klaus's mood swings or not, you're better off here than with him." I missed Damon but at least, now I had Rebekah and she had things she wanted to do.


End file.
